NRLF 


B  M  170  7142 


I)        i'ATES 

C A     SIR  VI 


82  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

From  the  summit  of  Berthoud's  Pass,  at  a  height  of  eleven  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  sixteen  feet,  we  can  look  northward  along  the  line  of 
the  main  range,  which  gradually  flexes  around  to  the  northwest,  while 
the  little  streams  seem  to  flow  through  the  rifts.  The  general  appear- 
ance of  the  western  slope  of  this  great  range  would  indicate  that  it  is  a 
huge  anticlinal  composed  of  a  series  of  ranges  on  each  side  of  a  common 
axis,  and  then  smaller  ranges  ascend  like  steps  to  the  central  axis.  The 
western  side  of  this  ridge  slopes  gently,  while  the  eastern  side  projects 
over  abruptly.  This  main  range  also  forms  a  narrow  dividing  line,  or 
"  water-divide,"  between  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific.  I  stood 
where  the  waters  of  each  side  were  only  a  few  feet  apart,  and  felt  a  real 
joy  in  passing  down  the  western  slope  of  the  mountain  by  the  side  of  a 
pure  crystal  stream  whose  waters  were  hastening  on  to  the  g'reat  Pacific. 

All  down  the  western  slope  is  a  great  thickness  of  superficial  material, 
loose  sand,  decomposing  feldspar,  with  partially  worn  rocks  of  all  sizes. 
This  is  due  quite  evidently  to  local  influences,  ice  and  water  wearing 
down  the  sides  of  the  mountains  and  depositing  the  material  adhering 
to  the  masses  of  ice  along  the  slopes. 

The  springs  of  water  are  very  numerous,  and  the  water  seems  to  col- 
lect in  the  thick  grass  and  moss-covered  earth,  forming  large  bogs.  It 
is  also  interesting  to  watch  the  growth  of  a  stream  from  its  source,  re- 
ceiving in  its  way  the  waters  of  myriads  of  springs,  until  it  becomes  a 
river  too  formidable  to  ford  easily.  The  little  stream  which  rises  in  the 
pass  we  followed  to  the  Park,  where  it  is  fifty  yards  wide,  and  contains 
an  abundance  of  fine  trout.  * 

The  Middle  Park  is  really  made  up  of  a  number  of  smaller  parks, 
which  are  somewhat  independent  of  each  other.  Each  one  may  present 
different  geological  formations.  The  little  park  on  the  south  side,  which 
we  first  enter,  is  a  very  beautiful  one.  The  grass  is  luxuriant,  and  the 
timber  excellent.  None  of  the  older  sedimentary  rocks  were  seen  along 
the  flanks  of  the  mountains,  but  a  recent  tertiary  deposit  seemed  to 
cover  the  country.  On  the  east  side  of  Eraser  Creek  there  is  a  long, 
high  ridge,  which  is  cut  by  the  stream  in  several  places,  formed  of  the 
white  and  yellow  sands  and  marls  which  mark  the  pliocene  tertiary  on 
the  east  side  of  the  mountain.  I  have  no  doubt  that  it  is  a  formation 
of  the  same  kind  as  that  of  the  Arkansas  marls,  and  coteniporaneous 
with  it. 

Along  this  creek  there  are  some  massive  walls  of  this  formation,  mostly 
yellow  marls,  but  some  layers  of  sandstone.  This  ridge  extends  from 
the  mountains  far  northward,  and  is  about  two  miles  wide:  and  between 
it  and  the  immediate  base  of  the  mountains  is  situated  a  beautiful  valley 
of  considerable  width. 

The  Middle  Park  is  apparently  a  quaquaversal,  surrounded  by  the  lofty 
snowy  ranges ;  and  the  lower  ranges  descending  like  steps  to  the  valley 
which  constitutes  the  true  park.  The  park  does  not  appear  to  be  more 
than  from  ten  to  twenty  miles  wide  from  east  to  west,  and  from  fifty  to 
sixty  long  from  north  to  south.  In  this  park  also  the  ranges  of  moun- 
tains so  surround  it  that  the  slopes  seem  to  form  a  sort  of  quaquaversal 
inclining  toward  a  common  center. 

Viewed  from  Middle  Park,  Long's  Peak,  and  the  range  immediately 
connected  with,  has  a  rugged,  saw-like  edge,  as  if  composed  of  eruptive 
rocks,  and  ridge  after  ridge  inclines  from  it  in  regular  order. 

About  ten  miles  north  of  our  camp,  in  the  first  park,  we  come  to  low 
ridges  of  massive  red  feldspathic  granite,  and  parallel  with  these  granite 
ridges  are  a  series  of  sedimentary  beds,  commencing  with  the  brick-red 
beds.  The  strike  is  nearly  north  and  south,  and  the  dip  west.  These 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO.  83 

ridges  are  all  so  grassed  over  that  the  true  nature  of  the  underlying 
rocks  is  not  easily  determined.  Then  comes  ridge  after  ridge  until  all 
the  beds — Jurassic  and  cretaceous — are  shown. 

On  this  stream  we  have  a  fine  system  of  terraces.  On  the  north  side 
are  three  distinct  terraces  above  the  bottom,  and  the  lowest  one  has  a 
bed  of  cretaceous  sandstone,  nearly  horizontal,  cropping  out  at  its  base. 
This  is  a  low  one,  not  more  than  fifteen  feet  high;  the  next  one  is  fifty 
feet  high,  and  the  third,  which  descends  from  the  high  hills,  is  two  hun- 
dred feet.  A  little  west  of  south,  at  the  junction  of  Grand  River  with 
Fraser  Creek,  five  high  peaks  are  visible,  which  form  in  that  direction 
a  part  of  the  main  range.  All  around  us,  in  every  direction,  we  could 
see  the  snowy  peaks,  and  the  beds  which  form  the  ridges  of  upheaval 
inclining  in  every  direction. 

To  the  south  of  the  park  the  older  sedimentary  rocks  dip  north  in 
lofty  ridges,  at  least  two  thousand  feet  high,  presenting  high  escarp- 
ments when  split  by  streams,  and  reaching  almost  the  highest  margin 
of  the  mountains. 

About  ten  miles  above  the  hot  springs,  Grand  Eiver  flows  through  an 
enormous  gorge  cut  through  a  high  ridge  of  basalt,  which  seems  to  be 
an  intrusive  bed,  for  above  and  below,  the  sedimentary  rocks  are  well 
shown,  but  partially  changed.  Underneath  are  the  cretaceous  shales  of 
Nos.  4  and  5,  and  above  are  the  lignite  tertiary  beds.  These  beds  all 
dip  west  twenty-three  degrees. 

These  eruptive  rocks  are  very  rough,  as  if  they  had  been  poured  out 
without  much  pressure.  Much  of  it  is  a  very  coarse  conglomerate,  the 
inclosed  masses  appearing  to  be  the  same  kind  as  the  paste;  that  is,  orig- 
inally, of  igneous  origin.  Some  of  the  inclosed  rocks  are  very  compact, 
close,  and  all  were,  more  or  less  worn  before  being  inclosed.  This  rock 
is  a  true  dolorite.  I  did  not  see  any  inclosed  masses  that  I  could  call 
unchanged.  This  basalt  extends  a  great  distance,  continuing  a  nearly 
uniform  thickness,  and  inclining  in  the  same  direction  with  the  cretaceous 
beds  below  and  the  tertiary  beds  above. 

On  both  sides  of  Grand  Eiver,  but  especially  on  the  east  and  north- 
east sides,  extending  up  nearly  to  the  foot  of  Long's  Peak,  are  quite 
large  exposures  of  the  recent  tertiary  beds.  They  are  nearly  horizontal, 
and  have  much  the  appearance  in  color  of  the  Fort  Bridger  beds,  of 
which  Church  Buttes  is  an  example.  These  beds  are  composed,  for  the 
most  part;  of  fine  sand  and  marl,  but  there  are  a  few  small  rounded 
boulders  scattered  through  it.  Below  the  gorge,  on  the  north  side  of 
Grand  Eiver,  these  outflows  of  basalt  have  formed  some  well-defined 
mesas;  at  least  three  beds  ascending  like  steps  from  the  river.  Below 
the  gorge  the  river  flows  through  what  seems  to  be  a  rift  of  basalt,  that 
is,  on  the  north  side.  The  basalt  lies  in  horizontal  beds,  but  on  the  south 
side  is  the  sloping  side  of  a  basaltic  ridge.  The  dip  is  nearly  northwest, 
though  the  trend  of  this  basaltic  ridge  is  by  no  means  regular.  One 
portion  of  it  has  a  strike  northwest  and  southeast,  and  another  north 
and  south.  The  tertiary  rocks  reach  a  great  thickness,  and  are  elevated 
high  up  on  the  top  of  the  basaltic  ridge,  eight  hundred  to  one  thousand 
feet  above  the  river.  They  are  mostly  formed  of  fine  sandstone  and  pud- 
ding-stone. These  fine  sandstones  contain  some  well-marked  impres- 
SIODS  of  deciduous  leaves,  among  which  are  good  specimens  of  Platanus 
haydeni.  On  the  north  side  of  Grand  Eiver,  in  some  localities,  the  tertiary 
beds  are  elevated  so  high,  on  many  of  the  eruptive  mountains,  that  they 
are  covered  with  perpetual  snow.  These  eruptive  beds  are  certainly 
among  the  most  remarkable  examples  of  the  overflow  of  igneous  matter 
that  I  have  ever  seen  in  the  West. 


/    BERKELEY 

LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
V       CALIFORNIA 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


FROM  THE    LIBRARY  OF 

DR.  JOSEPH   LECONTE. 

GIFT  OF  MRS.   LECONTE. 


PRELIMINARY  FIELD  REPORT 


UNITED  STATES  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY 

\\ 


OF 


COLORADO  AND  NEW  MEXICO, 


CONDUCTED 


UNDER  THE  AUTHORITY  OF  HON.  J.  D.  COX,  SECRETARY  OF  THE  INTERIOR, 


F.   V.   HAYDEN, 

UNITED  STATES  GEOLOGIST. 


.     WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT    PRINTING    OFFICE. 
1869. 


UBRABY 


LETTER  TO  THE  SECRETARY. 


DENVER,  COLORADO  TERRITORY, 

October  15,  1869. 

SIR  :  In  accordance  with  your  instructions  dated  Washington,  April  1, 
1869, 1  have  the  honor  to  transmit  my  preliminary  field  report  of  the 
United  States  geological  survey  of  Colorado  and  New  Mexico,  con- 
ducted by  me,  under  your  direction,  during  the  past  season.  A  portion 
of  your  instructions  is  as  follows : 

41  You  will  proceed  to  the  field  of  your  labors  as  soon  as  the  necessary 
arrangements  can  be  made  and  the  season  will  permit,  and  your  attention 
will  be  especially  directed  to  the  geological,  mineralogical  and  agricul- 
tural resources  of  the  Territories  herein  designated ;  you  will  be  required 
to  ascertain  the  age,  order  of  succession,  relative  position,  dip,  and  com- 
parative thickness  of  the  different  strata  and  geological  formations, 
and  examine  with  care  all  the  beds,  veins,  and  other  deposits,  of  ores, 
coals,  clays,  marls,  peat,  and  other  mineral  substances,  as  well  as  the 
fossil  remains  of  the  different  formations ;  and  you  will  also  make  full 
collections  in  geology,  mineralogy,  and  paleontology,  to  illustrate  your 
notes  taken  in  the  field." 

In  accordance  with  the  above  instructions  I  proceeded  to  Cheyenne, 
Wyoming  Territory,  where  my  preparations  and  outfit  were  made. 

My  assistants  were  selected  as  follows : 

1.  James  Stevenson,  managing  director  and  general  assistant. 

2.  Henry  W.  Elliott,  artist. 

3.  Eev.  Cyrus  Thomas,  entomologist  and  botanist. 

4.  Persifer  Frazer,  jr.,  mining  engineer  and  metallurgist. 

5.  E.  C.  Carrington,  jr.,  zoologist. 

6.  B.  H.  Cheever,  jr.,  general  assistant. 

Five  men  were  also  employed,  three  of  them  as  teamsters,  one  as 
laborer,  and  the  other  one  as  cook. 

As  soon  as  my  preparations  were  completed,  my  field  labors  com- 
menced, June  29,  at  Cheyenne.  Limited  somewhat  as  to  time  and  means, 
I  arranged  my  plans  so  as  to  cover  as  much  ground  as  possible  and  secure 
the  greatest  amount  of  geological  information.  On  the  plains  the 
geological  structure  is  very  simple,  and  •frequently  over  large  areas  the 
basis  rocks  are  concealed  by  superficial  deposits.  It  seemed  best,  there- 
fore, to  make  my  examinations  southward  along  the  eastern  base  of  the 
Eocky  Mountains  for  the  purpose  of  studying  the  upheaved  ridges,  or 
"  hog  backs,"  as  they  are  called  in  this  country.  These  ridges  afford 
peculiar  facilities  for  working  out  the  geological  structure  of  the  country. 
Indeed,  they  are  like  the  pages  of  an  open  book  upon  which  the  geolo- 
gist can  read  what  the  Creator  has  written  upon  each  formation  known 
in  the  country  from  the  granite  mass  that  forms  the  nucleus  of  the 
loftiest  mountain  range  to  the  most  recent  tertiary  formation  inclusive. 
Often  in  a  little  belt,  from  half  a  mile  to  four  or  five  in  width,  one  may 
travel  over  the  upturned  edges  of  nearly  all  the  formations  in  the  geolo- 
gical scale,  and  the  opportunity  was  presented,  in  this  way,  for  tracing 


4  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

out  their  relations  by  studying  the  junction  of  the  changed  with  the 
unchanged  rocks. 

From  Cheyenne  to  Denver  we  examined  with  some  care  the  mines  about 
the  sources  of  the  Cache  a  la  Poudre  Eiver  and  the  coal  mines  at  South 
Boulder.  From  Denver  we  visited  the  silver  mines  at  Georgetown,  and 
the  gold  mines  of  Central  City,  thence  to  the  Middle  Park,  where  we 
found  much  of  interest  geologically.  We  then  returned  to  Denver  and 
pursued  our  way  southward,  passed  the  "  divider?  to  Colorado  City,  Soda 
Springs,  Canon  City,  Spanish  Peaks,  Eaton  Hills,  Fort  Union,  Mora 
Valley,  Santa  Fe\  Placiere  Mountains,  &c.  Along  this  route  the 
scenery  was  grand  beyond  description.  At  Colorado  City  there  is  an 
area  of  about  ten  miles  square  that  contains  more  material  of  geological 
interest  than  any  other  area  of  equal  extent  that  I  have  seen  in  the 
west. 

The  coal  formation  along  the  base  of  the  mountains  was  studied  with 
great  interest.  With  these  coal  beds  are  associated  valuable  deposits 
of  brown  iron  ore.  The  coal  and  iron  deposits  of  the  Eaton  Hills  extend 
from  the  Spanish  Peaks  to  Maxwell's,  and  the  supply  of  both  is  quite 
inexhaustible  and  of  excellent  quality.  The  future  influence  of  these 
two  important  minerals  at  this  locality,  on  the  success  of  a  Pacific  rail- 
road, cannot  be  over-estimated.  It  is  believed  that  the  coal  and  iron 
mines  of  the  Eaton  Hills  will  be  of  far  more  value  to  the  country  than 
all  the  mines  of  precious  metals  in  that  district. 

The  next  locality  for  coal  was  at  the  Placiere  Mountains.  In  one 
locality  here,  the  coal  has  been  changed  into  anthracite  by  the  eruption 
of  a  basaltic  dike,  the  igneous  material  of  which  had  poured  over  the  coal 
strata.  Vast  quantities  of  brown  iron  ore  are  associated  with  this  coal, 
and  magnetic  iron  ore  is  found  in  the  gneissoid  rocks  of  the  mountain. 
The  gold  mines  here  are  very  rich  and  are  now  wrought  upon  a  true 
scientific  plan. 

From  Santa  Fe  we  proceeded  up  the  Eio  Grande  through  the  San 
Luis  Valley,  Poncho  Pass,  Arkansas  Valley,  through  the  South  Park  to 
Denver  again.  We  could  only  give  a  glance  at  the  salt  springs  and 
gold  mines  of  the  South  Park,  but  we  gathered  much  valuable  informa- 
tion in  regard  to  this  interesting  region.  To  the  geologist  Colorado  is 
almost  encyclopedic  in  its  character,  containing  within  its  borders 
nearly  every  variety  of  geological  formation.  The  portion  of.  the 
country  examined  by  me  this  summer,  comprises  a  belt  about  five  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  in  length  from  north  to  south,  and  almost  two 
hundred  in  width  from  east  to  west. 

The  collections  in  all  departments  are  very  extensive  and  valuable, 
comprising  geological  specimens,  fossils,  minerals,  plants,  birds,  quadru- 
peds, reptiles,  and  insects,  all  of  which  are  to  be  arranged  and  classified 
in  the  museum  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  according  to  a  law  of  Con- 
gress. 

My  report,  herewith  transmitted,  has  been  written  under  circum- 
stances of  great  pressure  at  odd  moments,  in  traveling  from  point  to 
point,  or  in  camp  after  the  labors  of  the  day  were  completed,  far  away 
from  books  or  any  opportunities  for  careful  elaboration.  It  may  there- 
fore be  regarded  as  little  more  than  a  transcript  of  my  field-notes. 

Accompanying  my  own  report  will  be  found  those  of  my  assistants. 
Mr.  Persifer  Frazer,  jr.,  on  the  mining  resources  of  the  route  passed  over, 
and  Mr.  Cyrus  Thomas  on  the  agricultural  resources.  I  regard  these 
reports  as  of  great  practical  value  to  the  country. 

I  take  this  opportunity  of  tendering  my  thanks  to  all  of  my  assistants 
for  their  cordial  co-operation  throughout  the  entire  survey.  The  reports 
of  Messrs.  Thomas  and  Frazer  will  speak  for  themselves.  Mr.  Elliott, 


SURVEY    OF    COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO.  5 

the  artist,  has  labored  with  untiring  zeal,  and  has  made  more  than  four 
hundred  outlines  of  sketches,  and  about  seventy  finished  ones  for  the 
final  reports.  Each  one  of  these  sketches  illustrates  some  thought  or 
principle  in  geology,  and,  if  properly  engraved,  will  be  invaluable.  My 
principal  assistant,  Mr.  James  Stevenson,  who  has  been  associated  with 
me  in  my  western  explorations  for  many  years,  has  rendered  me  indis- 
pensable services  throughout  the  entire  trip. 

I  beg  permission  to  state  here  that  my  appropriation  was  so  limited 
that  had  it  not  been  for  the  kindness  and  generosity  of  the  military 
authorities  of  the  country,  I  could  have  accomplished  but  a  small 
portion  of  the  work  that  I  have  performed  during  the  present  season, 
and  I  take  this  opportunity  to  say  that  the  West  is  very  largely  indebted 
to  them  for  whatever  benefit  my  labors  have  been  or  may  be  to  the 
country. 

Before  leaving  Washington,  I  made  application  by  letter  to  General 
Sherman,  commanding  the  armies  of  the  United  States,  for  such  assist- 
ance from  the  military  authorities  of  the  West  as  could  be  aiforded  to 
me  without  manifest  injury  to  the  public  service.  On  my  letter  of  appli- 
cation, General  Sherman  placed  the  following  indorsement : 

"  This  application  is  referred  to  the  commanding  officers  of  the  depart- 
ments, districts,  and  posts,  who  will  extend  to  Professor  Hayden's  party 
the  usual  courtesies,  and  the  privilege  of  purchasing  a  limited  quantity  of 
provisions  on  the  same  terms  as  officers." 

Similar  indorsements  were  made  by  Generals  Sheridan,  Schofield,  and 
Augur.  The  greater  part  of  my  outfit  was  supplied  to  me  by  Colonel  E. 
B.  Carling,  United  States  army,  depot  quartermaster  at  Fort  D.  A.  Kus- 
sell,  Wyoming  Territory ;  and  I  cannot  express  too  cordially  my  grateful 
acknowledgments  to  him  -for  his  generous  aid,  not  only  for  this  season, 
but  also  for  two  previous  campaigns.  I  am  also  under  equal  obligation 
to  General  William  Myers,  United  States  Army,  chief  quartermaster 
department  of  the  Platte,  at  Omaha,  for  invaluable  aid  in  several  past 
years.  When  we  came  in  the  vicinity  of  a  military  post,  at  Fort  Union, 
Santa  Fe,  or  Fort  Garland,  we  received  all  the  aid  we  needed. 

I  would  also  extend  my  grateful  acknowledgments  to  the  press  and  the 
citizens  of  Colorado  and  New  Mexico,  but  more  especially  to  Colorado 
for  their  cordial  aid  and  sympathy  in  all  my  explorations. 

If  my  labors  have  added  anything  to  the  sum  of  human  knowledge  and 
the  honor  of  pur  country,  I  shall  be  content. 

I  remain  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

F.  Y.  HAYDEtf, 
United  States  Geologist. 

Hon.  J.  D.  Cox, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior. 


REPORT  OF  F.  V.  HAYDEN 


rnr/"  /  ii 


GEOLOGICAL    REPORT. 


INTEODUCTION. 


In  crder  that  the  relation  of  the  different  geological  formations  re- 
ferrgd  to  in  this  report  may  be  more  clearly  understood,  I  have  thought 
it  best  to  commence  with  the  upper  coal  measures  as  exposed  along  the 
Missouri  Eiver  near  Omaha  and  the  mouth  of  the  Platte. 

Omala,  which  is  well  known  to  be  the  eastern  terminus  of  the  Union 
Pacific  railroad,  is  built  upon  the  northwestern  rim  of  the  coal*  meas- 
ures as  seen  along  the  Lower  Missouri.  These  rocks  occupy  a  consid- 
erable portion  of  the  State  south  of  the  Platte  Eiver,  but  north  of  that 
point  they  cover  only  a  small  portion  of  Sarpy  and  Douglas  Counties. 
The  last  exposure  of  any  importance  is  near  the  point  decided  upon  as 
the  location  for  the  railroad  bridge  across  the  Missouri.  The  limestones 
at  this  pwnt  have  been  quarried  for  many  years,  but  the  amount  of 
labor  required  to  remove  the  vast  thickness  of  marl  and  drift  above  it, 
will  dimirish  greatly  the  importance  of  this  quarry.  Near  Florence 
these  limestones  are  seen  in  the  bottom  of  the  river  at  very  low  water, 
and  near  De  Sofo,  obscure  exposures  have  been  detected.  From  that 
point  to  tlw  foot  of  the  mountains  these  rocks  are  not  again  seen.  Along 
the  Platte  Eiver  for  about  eight  miles  there  are  extensive  quarries  of 
limestone  that  are  very  useful  for  building  purposes.  Scattered  over 
the  surface  of  the  country  in  the  two  counties  of  Douglas  and  Sarpy,  are 
exposures  of  the  rusty  sandstone  of  the  Dakota  group  ;  and  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Elktorn  Eiver  all  traces  of  the  coal  measure  rocks  have  disap- 
peared, and  do  not  reappear  again  until  we  reach  the  very  margin  of 
the  mountains,  over  five  hundred  miles  to  the  westward.  After  leaving 
the  mouth  of  the  Elkhorn  very  few  exposures  of  rocks  are  seen  for  the 
next  hundred  miles,  but  there  are  enough  to  show  that  the  underlying 
rocks  are  of  cretaceous  age.  Near  the  mouth  of  Elkhorn  Eiver  the 
sandstones  of  the  Dakota  group  are  seen,  while  on  the  distant  hills 
traces  of  the  yellow,  chalky  limestone,  No.  3,  o«cur.  After  reaching  a 
pointalong  the  Platte  about  one  hundred  miles  west  of  Omaha,  the  light, 
yellovish  marls  and  sands  of  the  White  Eiver  group  overlap  the  older 
rocks  and  occupy  the  country  to  the  very  margins  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
But  the  most  important  formation,  and  one  that  has  a  more  favorable 
influence  on  the  State  of  Nebraska  than  any  other,  is  of  very  recent  date 
in  geological  history.  In  the  valley  of  the  Missouri  Eiver,  extending 
up  nearly  to  Fort  Pierre,  and  also  to  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  and 
probaMy  southward  to  the  valley  of  Mexico,  is  a  deposit  of  yellow  marl 
varying  in  thickness  from  a  few  feet  to  several  hundred.  It  has  been  called 
"  the  biuff  formation/'  for  it  constitutes  the  picturesque  bluffs  or  high  hills 
which  form  the  most  conspicuous  features  in  the  scenery  along  the  Mis- 
souri Eiver.  This  yellow  marl  also  enters  largely  into  the  composition 
of  the  soil  of  the  vast  bottom  lands  of  the  river  which  are  so  justly  cel- 
ebrated for  their  fertility.  It  is,  however,  in  the  immediate  proximitv 
to  the  water-courses  that  this  yellow  marl  deposit  is  the  thickest,  and  it 
gradually  diminishes  in  depth  as  we  recede  from  them  j  still,  it  is  to  this 


10  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

deposit  that  a  very  large  portion  of  the  West  is  indebted  for  its  unsur- 
passed fertility  and  productiveness.  It  covers  the  country  with  such 
uniformity  that  it  conceals  almost  entirely  the  basis  rocks  from  v:ew. 
Underlying  this  marl  is  a  considerable  deposit  of  drift  material,  as 
rounded  pebbles  or  boulders  and  coarse  sand,  often  presenting  the  most 
singular  illustrations  of  oblique  layers  of  deposit.  The  marl  is  usially 
quite  homogeneous  in  its  composition,  and  almost  or  entirely  destitute 
of  stratification,  and  the  materials  seemed  to  have  been  deposited  in 
very  quiet  waters,  and  to  have  settled  to  the  bottom  of  a  fresh-water 
lake  like  gently-falling  snow.  The  drift  materials,  as  a  rule,  exhibit  the 
irregular  Iamina3  as  if  they  had  been  deposited  by  currents  of  water. 
The  exceedingly  great  importance  of  this  yellow  marl  deposit  is  lot  yet 
well  understood  or  appreciated,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  the  woaderful 
fertility  of  the  soil  of  the  western  States  and  Territories,  and  its  perma- 
nent productiveness  for  all  time  to  come,  is  due  to  it. 

The  eastern  portion  of  Nebraska  is  already  quite  thickly  settled,  and 
is  susceptible  of  cultivation,  but  the  western  part  must  be  inhabited,  if 
settled  at  all,  by  a  pastoral  people. 

These  broad,  level  prairies  are  covered  with  a  thick  growth  of  short, 
nutritious  grass,  but  the  scarcity  of  water  for  the  purpose  of  irrigation, 
and  the  almost  entire  absence  of  forest  trees,  must  ever  prevent  settle- 
ments to  any  great  extent.  In  the  autumn  nearly  all  the  smaller  streams 
dry  up  entirely,  and  several  seasons  the  Platte  has  been  kn<>wn  to  be- 
come so  low  as  to  have  no  continuous  current.  It  is  a  peculiar  feature 
of  these  western  streams,  at  times  to  be  larger  toward  their  sources  than 
at  their  mouths.  The  Platte  in  its  various  branches  always  has  an 
abundant  supply  of  water,  as  their  heads  issue  from  the  mountain  sides, 
but  in  traversing  the  plains  there  are  few  or  no  springs  or  branches  en- 
tering into  it,  or  the  water  is  entirely  absorbed  by  the  arid  earii  or  thirsty 
air,  until  the  bed  becomes  as  dry  as  the  dusty  road.  Hence  all  over  the 
Rocky  Mountain  regions  in  the  autumn  are  what  are  called  dry  creeks, 
with  beds  which,  when  full  in  the  spring  time,  form  large  risers. 

The  Platte  Eiver  flows,  for  a  distance  of  over  four  huidred  miles, 
through  the  southern  portion  of  what  I  have  termed  the  White  Eiver 
tertiary  basin,  in  contradistinction  to  the  great  lignite  tertiary  basin. 
The  former  has  been  separated  into  two  formations,  the  White  Eiver 
group  and  the  Loup  Eiver  beds,  on  account  of  the  organic  remains  char- 
acterizing each.  The  two  former  are  entirely  distinct,  not  a  species  pass- 
ing from  one  to  the  ot^er.  I  have  supposed  hitherto  that  the  Platte 
Eiver  flowed  through  strata  belonging  to  the  Loup  Eiver  group.  They 
ar.e  certainly  of  quite  recent  age,  but  the  pliocene  remains  that  I  col- 
lected on  the  Niobrara  Eiver  came  from  loose  gray  sands  which  rested 
with  a  certain  kind  of  unconformability  on  the  eroded  surface  of  the 
White  Eiver  group.  It  is  plain  also  that  the  valleys  of  the  more  inport- 
ant  streams  have  been  worn  out,  to  some  extent,  prior  to  the  deposition 
of  the  pliocene  sands. 

In  the  valley  of  the  Niobrara  and  Loup  Fork  the  pliocene  sands  are 
quite  thick,  and  the  line  of  separation  between  them  and  the  White  Eiver 
group  is  very  irregular,  while  on  the  hills  the  sands  occur  in  many  places, 
on  and  in,  isolated  hills. 

The  details  of  the  geology  of  this  most  interesting  region  still  remain 
to  be  worked  out,  and  its  geographical  extent  will  be  found  to  l»e  much 
larger  than  has  hitherto  been  supposed.  The  soil  composed  of  the  ero- 
ded materials  of  this  basin  is  of  moderate  fertility,  but  owing  to  a  want 
of  water  cannot  be  cultivated  to  any  great  extent.  The  greater  portion 
of  the  surface  underlaid  by  these  beds  is  covered  with  a  fine  growth  of 


SURVEY   OF    COLORADO   AND    NEW   MEXICO.  11 

grass  which  is  especially  adapted  to  the  raising  of  sheep,  and  I  am  glad 
to  see  that  some  enterprising  persons  are  making  the  experiment.  The 
healthfulness  of  the  climate,  the  nutritious  character  of  the  short  grass, 
and  the  dryness  of  the  ground,  not  unfrequently  covered  with  small 
pebbles,  must  act  favorably  on  sheep. 

That  portion  of  Wyoming  east  of  the  Laramie  range,  and  south  of  the 
line  of  the  Union  Pacific  railroad,  is  entirely  covered  with  the  upper 
beds  of  the  White  Eiver  tertiary  basin.  The  valley  of  Lodge  Pole,  Crow 
Creek,  and  Chugwater,  show  the  formations  of  this  basin  very  distinctly 
from  mouth  to  source.  The  Union  Pacific  railroad  ascends  the  eastern 
slope  of  the  Laramie  range  on  a  sort  of  bench  of  this  formation,  which 
seems  to  be  unusually  developed,  and  to  extend  without  much  interrup- 
tion up  to  the  very  margin  of  the  mountains,  sometimes  concealing  all 
the  rocks  of  intermediate  age  and  resting  on  the  syenites. 

About  twenty  miles  south  of  Cheyenne  these  beds  disappear  entirely 
along  the  eastern  flanks  of  the  mountains,  and  the  lignite  tertiary  beds 
are  exposed  to  view. 


CHAPTER  I. 
FROM  CHEYENNE  TO  DENVER. 

I  commenced  my  labors  at  Cheyenne,  Wyoming  Territory,  and  pro- 
ceeded southward  along  the  eastern  flanks  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
My  preliminary  report  will  be  little  more  than  a  transcript  of  my  journal 
from  day  to  day.  It  will  be,  therefore,  impossible  to  systematize  it  as  I 
would  wish,  or  avoid  in  many  cases  repetition.  There  is  great  uniformity 
in  the  geology  of  the  country,  and  when  one  has  become  familiar  with  the 
different  geological  formations  over  a  small  area,  he  can  trace  them  with 
great  rapidity  over  long  distances.  This  will  account,  in  part,  for  the 
large  extent  of  country  which  1  have  been  able  to  examine  in  a  single 
season.  The  geological  formations  immediately  underlying  Cheyenne 
are  of  tertiary  age.  probably  pliocene  or  very  late  miocene.  The  beds 
have  been  slightly  disturbed  by  the  upheaval  of  the  mountain  range,  but 
their  position  in  relation  to  the  older  tertiary  beds  shows  their  deposition 
to  have  been  of  late  date.  They  are  found  deposited  in  the  valleys  and 
sometimes  high  on  the  mountain  sides,  and  it  is  very  seldom  that  they  dip 
at  an  angle  of  more  than  five  degrees.  These  beds  can  be  traced  far  north- 
ward to  the  Black  Hills  of  Dakota,  a  distance  of  three  hundred  and  fifty 
miles,  and  they  are  thus  shown  probably  to  be  the  upper  beds  or  most  re- 
cent formation  of  the  White  Eiver  tertiary.  Along  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tains the  rocks  are  mostly  pudding-stone,  or  an  aggregate  of  small  water- 
worn  pebbles,  mostly  very  small,  but  sometimes  several  inches  in  diame- 
ter. These  pebbles  grow  smaller  and  fewer  in  quantity  as  we  recede 
from  the  mountains  until  they  entirely  disappear,  and  fine  sand  or  inarl 
takes  their  place.  Xear  Cheyenne  there  is  a  bed  of  fresh- water  lime- 
stone which  is  much  used  as  lime,  and  seems  to  answer  an  excellent  pur- 
pose in  mason  work  and  for  whitewashing,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that 
such  beds  or  layers  occur  in  this  basin  everywhere.  Along  the  line  of 
the  Union  Pacific  railroad,  just  before  reaching  Granite  Canon,  a  bed 
of  the  most  excellent  limestone  crops  out,  on  the  margin  of  the  range,  of 
carboniferous  age.  This  is  burned  into  lime  of  snowy  whiteness  and  is 
a  great  favorite  with  masons.  It  contains  some  fossils  of  well  known 
carboniferous  forms,  as  Athyris  subtilita,  Product  us  pratteniana,  and 
crinoidal  fragments.  The  red  sandstones  are  exposed  iu  a  narrow  belt 


12  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

along  the  margins  of  the  mountains,  but  all  rocks  of  more  recent  date 
are  concealed  by  the  tertiary  deposits.  In  order  that  I  may  make  my 
description  of  the  different  formations  in  their  southern  extension  more 
clearly  understood,  I  will  describe  them  in  as  brief  a  manner  as  pos- 
sible, as  they  have  been  studied  in  the  regions  to  the  northward. 

The  granites  and  metamorphic  rocks  do  not  differ  in  many  respects  from 
those  which  form  the  nucleus  of  the  mountain  ranges  generally.  Reddish 
and  gray  granites  form  the  central  portions,  and  on  the  sides  is  a  series  of 
stratified  metamorphic  rocks  of  a  great  variety  of  structure  and  com- 
position. At  the  north  the  igneous  rocks  do  not  seem  to  predominate  , 
in  the  eastern  ranges,  but  as  we  proceed  southward  toward  New  Mexico 
they  increase  in  extent  and  force. 

The  Potsdam  sandstone  is  the  only  member  of  the  Silurian  that  I  have 
ever  observed  along  the  margins  of  the  mountains.  It  was  first  dis- 
covered west  of  the  Missouri  River  in  the  summer  of  1857,  during  the 
exploration  of  the  Black  Hills  of  Dakota,  by  a  United  States  expedi- 
tion under  the  command  of  General  G.  K.  Warren,  United  States  Army, 
and  it  has  been  observed  in  several  other  localities  since  that  time. 

The  following  section  of  the  Potsdam  sandstone  in  its  relation  to  the 
carboniferous  beds,  as  observed  by  me  around  the  margins  of  the  Black 
Hills,  shows  the  typical  characters  of  each,  where  they  are  well  exposed 
arid  have  been  clearly  identified  by  organic  remains : 

1.  Hard,  compact,  fine-grained,  yellowish  limestone  of  an  excellent 
quality;  passing  down  into  a  yellow  calcareous  sandstone,  quite  friable. 
Fossils  :  Rhynconella  rocky-montana,  Athyris  subtilitctj  Cyrtoceras,  &c. — 
50  feet. 

2.  Loose  layers  of  very  hard  yellow  arenaceous  limestone  with  a  red- 
dish tinge,  underlaid  by  a  bed,  six  or  eight  feet  in  thickness,  of  a  very  hard 
blue  limestone.    The  whole  contains  great  quantities  of  broken  crinoi- 
dal  remains  with  cyathopylloid  corals  and  several  species  of  brachio- 
poda — 40  feet. 

3.  Variegated  sandstone  of  a  gray  and  ferruginous  reddish  color,  com- 
posed chiefly  of  grains  of  quartz  and  particles  of  mica,  cemented  with 
calcareous  matter.    Some  portions  of  the  bed  are  very  hard,  compact, 
siliceous;  others  a  coarse  friable  grit;  others  conglomerate.    Fossils: 
Lingula  prima,  L.  antiqua,  Obolella  nana,  and  Arionellus  oweni — 50  feet. 

4.  Stratified  metamorphic  rocks  in  a  vertical  position  for  the  most  part. 
Eocks  about  the  same  as  those  above  described,  sometimes  very  much 

thicker  and  sometimes  thinner,  have  been  seen,  more  or  less,  all  along  the 
margin  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  on  both  sides  the  main  axis  from  the 
north  line  to  Cheyenne. 

About  the  sources  of  the  Missouri  Biver,  along  the  flanks  of  the  Big 
Horn  and  Wind  River  Mountains,  these  rocks  are  particularly  devel- 
oped. Now  and  then  they  all  disappear  for  a  considerable  distance,  and 
then,  at  the  first  favorable  opportunity,  reappear  from  beneath  beds  of 
more  recent  date.  A  series  of  arenaceous  beds,  which  we  have  called 
the  "  red  arenaceous  deposits,  or  triassic,77  form  one  of  the  most  con- 
spicuous features  of  the  geology  along  the  flanks  of  both  sides  of  the 
principle  ranges  of  mountains  and  are  almost  always  present.  They 
were  first  observed  by  me,  forming  a  narrow  belt  or  girdle  around  the 
granite  nucleus  of  the  Black  Hills  of  Dakota,  in  the  summer  of  1857. 
These  rocks  are  sometimes  called  saliferous  or  gypsum-bearing  beds,  from 
the  fact  that  they  contain  both  salt  and  gypsum,  the  latter  mineral 
oftentimes  in  great  quantities.  There  are  also  mingled  with  these  beds 
several  layers  of  bluish  siliceous  limestone,  which  at  the  far  north  at- 


SURVEY    OF    COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO.  13 

tain  a  considerable  thickness,  but  southward  thin  out  to  a  few  feet,  or 
are  entirely  concealed  by  the  debris  which  everywhere  prevails. 

These  red  beds,  when  they  make  their  appearance,  often  give  the  most 
unique  and  remarkable  features  to  the  scenery,  and  any  development  of 
them,  however  small,  never  falls  to  attract  even  the  commonest  observer 
on  account  of  their  brick-red  appearance.  No  well-authenticated  fossils 
have  ever  been  found  in  them,  yet  they  are  regarded  as  of  tnassic  age 
by  the  common  consent  of  geologists.  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  a 
portion  of  the  upper  light-red  beds,  with  the  included  layers  of  flinty 
limestone,  are  Jurassic,  but  I  have  never  been  able  to  find  any  well  de- 
fined line  of  separation  between  what  are  well  known  to  be  Jurassic  and 
the  supposed  triassic  beds. 

lasting  above  these  red  beds  is  a  series  of  marls  and  arenaceous  marls 
of  a  light  or  ashen  gray  color,  with  harder  layers  of  limestone  or  fine 
sandstone,  which  were  also  first  discovered  around  the  margin  of  the 
Black  Hills  of  Dakota  in  1857.  Since  the  discovery  in  the  Black  Hills, 
Jurassic  fossils  have  been  found  over  a  very  wide  geographical  area,  and 
yet  I  have  never  seen  them  so  well  developed,  or  the  peculiar  fossils  so 
abundant,  as  at  the  locality  where  they  were  first  observed.  Although 
I  have  traced  this  Jurassic  belt  by  its  organic  remains  over  many  hun- 
dreds of  miles,  I  have  been  able  to  discover  scarcely  a  well-defined 
Jurassic  fossil  south  of  Deer  Creek,  a  point  one  hundred  miles  north  of 
Fort  Laramie,  or  south  of  the  Lake  Como,  on  the  Union  Pacific  railroad. 

I  believe  that  a  thin  remnant  of  this  belt  extends  far  south  to  New 
Mexico,  but  it  is  often  so  obscured,  or  so  easily  concealed,  that  I  have  been 
continually  in  doubt  in  regard  to  its  existence.  Coextensive  with  all 
the  mountain  ranges  is  a  large  series  of  beds  above  the  Jurassic  belt 
which  belong  to  the  cretaceous  period,  the  upper  and  middle  portions  of 
which  are  everywhere  indicated  by  characteristic  fossil  remains,  as  seen 
on  the  Missouri  River,  where  they  were  first  studied  by  Mr.  F.  B.  Meek 
and  the  writer.  The  cretaceous  rocks  present  five  well-marked  divisions, 
Nos.  1,  2,  3,  4,  and  5,  or  Dakota  group,  Fort  Benton  group,  Niobrara 
division,  Fort  Pierre  group,  and  Fox  Hill  beds.  On  the  Lower  Missouri 
No.  1,  or  Dakota  group,  is  characterized  by  several  species  of  marine 
shells  and  a  profusion  of  impressions  of  deciduous  leaves;  but  along  the 
margins  of  the  mountain  elevations  I  have  never  been  able  to  discover 
a  single  specimen  of  organic  remains  that  would  establish  the  age  of  the 
rocks.  I  only  know  that  there  is  a  series  of  beds  of  remarkable  persist- 
ency all  along  the  margin  of  the  mountain  ranges,  holding  a  position 
between  well-defined  cretaceous  No.  2  and  Jurassic  beds,  and  in  my  pre- 
vious reports  I  have  called  them  transition  beds,  or  No.  1.  They  consist 
of  a  series  of  layers  of  yellow  and  gray,  more  or  less  fine-grained  sand- 
stones and  pudding-stones,  with  some  intercalated  layers  of  arenaceous 
clays.  In  almost  all  cases  there  is  associated  with  these  beds  a  thin  series 
of  carbonaceous  clays,  which  sometimes  becomes  impure  coal,  and  con- 
tains masses  of  silicified  wood,  &c.  On  the  west  side  of  the  Black  Hills 
they  assume  a  singularly  massive  appearance,  nearly  horizontal,  two 
hundred  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  thick,  and  are  called  Fortification 
Eocks.  Here  also  occurs  a  thin  bed  of  carbonaceous  clay.  On  the  east- 
ern slope  of  the  Big  Horn  Mountains  I  observed  this  same  series  of  beds 
in  the  summer  of  1859,  holding  a  position  between  cretaceous  No.  2  and 
the  Jurassic  marls,  with  a  considerable  thickness  of  earthy  lignite,  large 
quantities  of  petrified  wood,  and  numerous  large  uncharacteristic  bones, 
which  Dr.  Leidy  regarded  as  belonging  to  some  huge  saurian. 

There  are  very  few  points  of  resemblance  between  these  beds  and 
those  which  form  the  Dakota  group,  as  seen  in  Kansas  and  Nebraska. 


14  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND    NEW   MEXICO. 

All  the  evidence  therefore  that  I  have  had  to  guide  me  in  regard  to 
these  beds  along  the  margin  of  the  mountain  ranges  has  been  their 
position. 

No.  2,  on  the  Missouri  River,  is  composed  of  very  black  plastic  clays, 
with  some  thin  layers  of  limestone  and  sandstone,  and  is  quite  well  sepa- 
rated from  No.  1  below  and  No.  3  above.  No.  3  is  composed  of  massive 
layers  of  chalky  limestone,  always  containing  Inoceramus  problematicus 
and  Ostrea  congesta. 

Along  the  Kansas  Pacific  .railroad,  at  Hayes  City  and  Fort  Wallace, 
No.  3  occurs  in  such  massive  layers  that  it  is  sawed  into  building  blocks 
with  a  common  saw.  No.  4  is  a  dark  ashen  steel-colored  laminated  clay, 
with  bluish  calcareous  concretions  filled  with  shells.  No.  5  is  a  yellow- 
ish ferruginous  arenaceous  clay,  with  the  greatest  abundance  of  mollus- 
cous fossils.  At  various  localities  all  along  the  margin  of  the  mountain 
ranges  these  divisions  of  the  cretaceous  are  far  less  distinctly  separated, 
and  vary  more  or  less  in  their  structure  and  composition,  and  yet  in 
tracing  them  carefully  and  continuously  from  the  Missouri  Kiver  they 
always  retain  enough  of  their  typical  character,  so  that  I  have  never 
been  at  a  loss  to  detect  their  presence  at  once,  although  after  leaving 
the  Missouri  Eiver  we  do  not  find  any  well-defined  lines  of  separation, 
either  lithologically  or  paleontologically. 

With  the  commencement  of  the  tertiary  was  ushered  in  the  dawn  of 
the  great  lake  period  of  the  West.  The  evidence  seems  to  point  to  the 
conclusion  that  from  the  dawn  of  the  tertiary  period,  even  up  to  the 
commencejnent  of  the  present,  there  was  a  continuous  series  of  fresh- 
water lakes  all  over  the  continent  west  of  the  Mississippi  Kiver.  As- 
suming the  position  that  all  the  physical  changes  were  slow,  progressive, 
and  long-continued,  and  that  the  earlier  sediments  of  the  tertiary  were 
marine,  then  brackish,  then  purely  fresh  water,  we  have  through  them 
a  portion  of  the  consecutive  history  of  the  growth  of  the  western  conti- 
nent, step  by  step,  up  to  the  present  time.  The  earliest  of  these  great 
lakes  marked  the  commencement  of  the  tertiary  period,  and  seems  to 
have  covered  a  very  large  portion  of  the  American  continent  west  of 
the  Mississippi,  from  the  Arctic  Sea  to  the  Isthmus  of  Darien. 

As  I  have  before  stated,  the  first  sediments  were  marine,  then  came 
brackish  water,  and  soon  purely  fresh  water,  as  is  plainly  indicated  by 
the  organic  remains.  The  lower  beds  of  the  great  lignite  basin  every- 
where contain  layers,  varying  from  a  few  inches  to  two  feet  in  thick- 
ness, made  up  almost  entirely  of  oyster  shells,  with  a  few  other  species 
of  marine  or  estuary  types.  No  exclusively  marine  forms  have  as  yet 
been  found  to  my  knowledge,  but  as  we  ascend  in  the  beds  all  traces  of 
the  salt  sea  disappear,  and  a  great  profusion  of  fresh-water  and  land  shells 
appear,  with  vast  quantities  of  the  impressions  of  leaves  of  deciduous 
trees.  Numerous  beds  of  coal,  varying  in  thickness  from  a  few  inches 
to  fifteen  or  twenty  feet,  characterize  this  deposit. 

About  the  middle  of  the  tertiary  period  the  second  extensive  lake 
commenced  in  the  West,  which  we  have  called  the  White  River  tertiary 
basin.  We  believe  that  it  commenced  its  growth  near  the  southeastern 
base  of  the  Black  Hills,  and  gradually  enlarged  its  borders.  I  am  in- 
clined to  think  that  this  lake  has  continued  on,  almost  or  quite  up  to  the 
commencement  of  the  present  period ;  that  the  light  colored  arenaceous 
and  marly  deposits  in  the  Park  of  the  Upper  Arkansas,  in  the  Middle 
Park,  among  the  mountains  at  the  source  of  the  Missouri  Kiver,  in  Texas 
and  California,  and  Utah,  are  all  later  portions  of  this  great  lake.  The 
upper  miocene  or  pliocene  deposits  in  the  Wind  Kiver  Valley,  near  Fort 
Bridger,  and  on  the  divide  between  the  Platte  and  the  Arkansas  Rivers, 


SURVEY    OF   COLORADO    AND    NEW    MEXICO.  15 

were  undoubtedly  synchronous,  though  perhaps  not  connected  with  this 
great  basin.  Every  year,  as  the  limits  of  my  explorations  are  extended 
in  any  direction,  I  find  evidences  of  what  appear  to  be  separate  lake 
basins,  covering  greater  or  less  areas,  and  bearing  intrinsic  proof,  more 
or  less  conclusive,  of  the  time  of  their  existence.  I  have  given  in  this 
place  the  above  brief  description  of  the  various  geological  formations 
as  1  have  studied  them  in  the  West,  in  order  that  my  subsequent  remarks 
on  these  formations  in  their  southern  extension  may  be  more  clearly 
understood.  Constant  reference  will  be  made  to  rocks  as  they  have 
been  seen  in  the  far  North  and  West,  in  order  that  the  story  of  their 
geological  extension  may  be  linked  together. 

June  29,  1869. — Left  Fort  D.  A.  Eussell  about  10  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing with  my  entire  party,  consisting  of  twelve  persons  and  eighteen 
mules  and  horses,  with  two  large  covered  wagons  and  an  ambulance. 
By  the  kindness  of  Colonel  E.  B.  Carling,  the  depot  quartermaster,  at 
Fort  D.  A.  Eussell,  1  was  provided  with  everything  needful  for  inde- 
pendent camp  life,  and  I  at  once  commenced  my  explorations  in  earnest. 

We  traveled  to-day  thirteen  miles  southward  from  Fort  Russell.  Our 
entire  route  was  over  the  more  recent  beds  of  the  White  Eiver  tertiary 
basin.  The  lowest  bed  exposed  by  the  cuts  in  the  streams,  is  a  thick  layer 
of  flesh-colored  indurated  marl,  much  like  that  containing  so  many  ver- 
tebrate fossils  on  White  Eiver,  Dakota.  It  contains  some  thin  layers  of 
very  fine  gritty  rock.  Overlying  this  is  a  thick  bed  which  appears  more 
recent,  yet  apparently  conforms  to  the  marl  beds  below.  It  is  composed 
of  water- worn  pebbles  of  various  sizes,  forming  a  real  pudding-stone. 
Near  the  margins  of  the  mountains  this  bed  gives  the  characteristic 
features  to  the  scenery,  as  it  is  cut  through  by  the  myriad  small  streams 
that  issue  from  the  mountain  side.  It  is  at  least  three  or  four  feet  in  thick- 
ness. Most  of  the  pebbles  are  from  the  granite  rocks  that  form  the  cen- 
tral portions  of  the  Laramie  range.  The  beds  all  dip  from  the  mountains 
eastward  at  a  moderate  angle,  and  it  is  evident  that  this  entire  forma- 
tion was  deposited  after  the  mountain  ranges  had  nearly  reached  their 
present  height.  The  strata  seldom  dip  at  an  angle  of  over  5°  and  rest 
unconformably  on  the  older  beds  when  they  are  seen  in  apposition. 
Near  the  junction  of  the  metamorphic  rocks  with  these  modern  pud- 
ding-stones the  pebbles  or  bowlders  are  not  much  worn,  and  of  mode- 
rate size,  six  to  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  but  the  sediments  grow  finer 
and  finer  as  we  recede  from  the  foot  of  the  mountains  until  the  pudding- 
stones  pass  into  a  fine-grained  whitish  sandstone.  We  can  see,  therefore, 
that  these  deposits  formed  the  proper  rim  of  the  fresh-water  lake,  that 
the  sediments  were  derived  from  the  erosion  of  the  feldspathic  granites, 
and  that  the  forces  that  were  in  operation  acted  from  the  direction  of 
the  mountain  ranges. 

There  are  also  vast  quantities  of  drift  material  which  I  regard  as  local. 
It  seems  to  me  that  the  evidence  is  clear  that  all  this  modern  drift-action 
had  its  origin  in  the  mountain  ranges  in  the  immediate  vicinity;  that  in 
earlier  times  the  snow  and  ice  gathered  on  the  summits  in  vastly  greater 
quantities,  and  that  in  melting,  from  year  to  year,  in  the  form  of  water 
and  ice,  they  brought  along  vast  quantities  of  rocks  from  the  mountains 
and  distributed  them  over  the  surface. 

The  waters,  with  the  masses  of  ice,  would  naturally  follow  the  chan- 
nels of  the  streams  if  they  had  been  marked  out,  or  they  would  mark  out 
new  channels,  for  nearly  or  quite  all  the  valleys  that  extend  down  from 
the  mountains  become  shallower,  the  further  they  extend  eastward  from 
the  flanks  of  the  range.  This  superficial  deposit  at  the  very  margins  of 
the  mountains  is  composed  of  very  coarse  materials,  sometimes  immense 


16  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

masses  of  granite  of  all  kinds,  but  slightly  worn  ;  but  proceeding  from 
the  base  of  the  mountains,  the  rocks  become  smaller  and  more  rounded, 
until  they  pass  into  small  pebbles,  mingled  with  loose  sand. 

The  phenomena  of  erosion,  as  seen  at  the  present  time,  all  along  the 
flanks  of  the  mountains,  in  the  plains,  in  the  channels  of  streams,  point 
clearly  to  a  vastly  greater  quantity  and  force  of  water  than  exist  any- 
where at  the  present  time. 

The  surface  of  the  country  along  the  base  of  the  mountains  is  ex- 
tremely undulating — worn  into  hill,  valley,  ridge,  or  rounded  buttes. 
The  strata  in  these  ridges  and  hills  show  that  the  entire  surface  was 
much  higher  than  it  is  at  present,  and  that  these  ridges  and  buttes  are 
only  remnants  of  beds  left  after  the  erosion,  and  how  great  a  thickness  of 
strata  was  originally  deposited  above  these  remnants,  and  is  now  en- 
tirely swept  away,  it  is  impossible  to  determine,  though  we  believe  it 
was  very  great. 

Now,  on  these  hills  are  the  greatest  numbers  of  large,  rounded  stones, 
of  all  kinds,  granite  and  sedimentary,  as  if  they  had  been  left  there  by 
the  melting  masses  of  ice  which  had  lodged  on  the  hills.  These  stones 
are  also  accumulated  in  long  lines  or  belts,  as  if  they  had  been  driven  by 
currents  so  as  to  form  shore  Hues,  or  lodged-in  eddies.  The  evidence  is 
clear  that  great  bodies  of  water,  in  which  were  probably  mingled  masses 
of  ice,  swept  over  the  plain  country  within  a  'comparatively  recent 
geological  period. 

Opposite  Camp  Carling,  in  the  bluffs  of  Crow  Creek,  a  good  thickness 
of  drift  is  seen  filling  up  the  irregular  surface  of  the  modern  tertiary 
beds,  so  that  we  have  evidence  of  quite  extensive  erosion  of  the  surface 
prior  to  the  deposition  of  this  drift. 

Along  all  the  main  water-courses  are  high  ridges  showing  the  rocky 
strata  perfectly.  A  little  lower  is  a  second  ridge,  mostly  grassed  over, 
but  more  or  less  parallel  with  the  higher  ridge  ;  then  we  have  a  gradu- 
ated series  of  terraces,  from  one  to  three,  extending  down  to  the  water's 
edge.  This  description  applies  to  all  the  main  water-courses  along  the 
base  of  the  mountains,  whether  there  is  running  water  in  them  at  this 
time  or  not ;  and  they  all  seem  to  give  evidence  that  they  once  contained 
far  more  water  than  at  present.  This  configuration  of  the  surface  aids 
much  in  giving  a  sort  of  picturesque  appearance  to  the  plains,  inasmuch 
as  we  cross  these  undulations  at  right  angles  in  traveling  north  to 
south. 

The  soil  in  the  valleys  of  the  streams  is  rich  enough,  and  when  it  can 
be  irrigated,  will  produce  good  crops ;  and  not  until  the  farmers  and 
stock-growers  begin  to  settle  about  Cheyenne  will  it  have  a  permanent 
and  substantial  growth. 

June  30.  The  distance  from  Cheyenne  to  Laporte,  on  the  Cache  la 
Poudre,  is  forty  miles.  The  tertiary  pudding-stone  beds  extend  along 
the  immediate  flanks  of  the  mountains  for  twenty-five  miles,  but  disap- 
pear from  the  plains  within  ten  or  fifteen  miles  of  Laporte. 

I  have  estimated  their  entire  thickness  here  at  from  twelve  hundred 
to  fifteen  hundred  feet.  The  high  hills  near  the  station  are  capped  with 
coarse  sandstone,  with  horizontal  strata,  and  are  eight  hundred  feet 
above  the  bed  of  the  creek  that  flows  near  their  base.  From  beneath 
these  recent  beds  arise  the  more  sombre-hued  beds  of  the  lignite  tertiary. 
We  have  then  broad  grassy  plains,  dotted  here  and  there  with  buttes 
like  truncated  cones,  and  long  narrow  belts  of  table-lands,  with  perfectly 
plain  surfaces  to  the  eye,  from  a  distance.  Why  these  more  modern 
tertiary  beds  are  so  persistent  along  the  immediate  sides  of  the  moun- 
tain, but  have  been  entirely  swept  away  ten  miles  to  the  eastward,  I  can- 


SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND    NEW    MEXICO.  17 

not  tell.  This  narrow  belt,  about  ten  or  fifteen  miles  wide,  extending  np 
to  the  granite  rocks,  and  for  the  most  part  concealing  all  the  intermedi- 
ate rocks,  forms  a  sort  of  bench,  with  a  gently  ascending  grade  for  the 
Union  Pacific  railroad. 

Either  above  or  below  this  bench  the  ascent  to  the  mountains  would 
have  been  very  difficult,  expensive,  and  perhaps  impossible. 

About  twenty  miles  south  of  Cheyenne  a  bed  of  coal  has  been  opened 
and  wrought  to  some  extent.  The  outcropping  repealed  a  bed  of  im- 
pure coal  four  feet  eight  inches  thick,  with  an  inclination  12°  east. 
The  coal  became  more  valuable  as  it  was  worked  further  into  the  earth ; 
and  by  following  the  direction  of  the  dip,  the  coal  was  found  to  be  five 
feet  four  inches  thick.  In  nearly  all  instances  coal  beds  increase  in 
thickness,  rather  than  diminish,  the  further  they  are  explored.  The 
whole  plain  country  is  covered  with  such  a  thickness  of  superficial  drift 
that  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  obtain  a  connected  section  of  the  under- 
lying rocks.  Sometimes  a  stream  will  cut  so  deep  that  a  portion  of 
them  is  exposed,  and  by  following  it  a  great  distance,  the  order  of  super- 
position may  be  obtained  with  some  degree  of  correctness. 

A  section  across  the  upturned  edges  of  the  strata,  from  the  direction 
of  the  mountains  eastward,  is  as  follows : 

7.  Drab  clay  passing  up  into  areno-calcareous  grits  composed  of  an 
aggregation  of  oyster-shells,  Ostrea  subtrigonalis. 

6.  Lignite — 5  to  6  feet. 

5.  Drab  clay— 4  to  6  feet. 

4.  Eeddish,  rusty  sandstone,  in  thin  lamina — 20  feet. 

3.  Drab  arenaceous  clay,  indurated — 25  feet. 

2.  Massive  sandstone — 50  feet. 

1.  No.  5,  cretaceous  apparently  passing  up  into  a  yellowish  sandstone. 

The  summits  of  the  hills  near  this  bed  of  coal  are  covered  with  loose 
oyster  shells,  and  a  stratum  four  feet  thick,  or  more,  is  composed  of  an 
aggregation  of  them.  This  species  seems  to  be  identical  with  the  one 
found  in  a  similar  geological  position  in  the  lower  lignite  beds  of  the 
Upper  Missouri,  near  Fort  Clark  j  also  at  the  mouth  of  the  Judith,  and 
at  South  Boulder,  and  doubtless  was  an  inhabitant  of  the  brackish 
waters  which  must  have  existed  about  the  dawn  of  the  tertiary  period 
in  the  west.  It  would  seem,  that  in  these  lower  coal  beds  the  molluscous 
life  was  almost  entirely  confined  to  this  genus,  (from  three  to  five  species 
having  already  been  discovered.)  Near  Medicine  Bow  Creek  there  is  a 
thin  seam  of  oyster  shells,  quite  minute,  and  at  Point  of  Bocks,  on  the 
Union  Pacific  railroad,  above  several  beds  of  coal,  there  is  a  layer  two 
feet  or  more  in  thickness,  made  up  of  the  shells  of  a  fine  large  species, 
about  the  size  of  our  common  edible  oyster. 

On  the  Upper  Missouri  a  great  variety  of  well-known  fresh-water 
types  of  shells  are  found  in  the  strata  connected  with  the  coal,  especially 
toward  the  middle  portion.  But  southward  I  have  never  met  with  any 
other  shells  than  oysters,  in  direct  connection  with  the  coal  beds. 

During  the  summer  of  1859  I  traced  this  lignite  formation  uninter- 
uptedly  from  the  Upper  Missouri  Valley  to  a  point  on  the  North  Platte, 
about  eighty  miles  northwest  of  Fort  Larainie.  It  is  there  overlapped 
by  the  modern  tertiary  deposits  previously  described,  but  reappears 
(about  twenty  miles  south  of  Cheyenne,  and  extends  with  some  inter- 
ruptions far  southward  into  New  Mexico.  During  the  summer  of  1868 
I  traced  these  coal  beds,  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountains,  westward 
nearly  to  Salt  Lake  City ;  and  in  the  Middle  and  South  Parks  there  are 
quite  extensive  developments  of  them. 

I  make  these  remarks  as  confirmatory  of  a  statement  which  I  made 


18  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND  NEW  MEXICO. 

in  an  article  in  Silliman's  Journal,  March,  1868,  "  that  all  the  lignite 
tertiary  beds  of  the  west  are  but  fragments  of  one  great  basin  interrupted 
here  and  there  by  the  upheaval  of  mountain  chains,  or  concealed  by  the 
deposition  of  newer  formations." 

As  soon  as  the  lignite  beds  reappear  southward  the  aspect  of  the 
country  changes.  The  distant  hills  that  flank  the  mountains  on  the 
right  are  still  the  pebbly  conglomerate  beds.  And  in  the  valleys  of  the 
little  streams,  about  four  miles  south  of  Spotswood  Springs,  are  several 
exposures  of  beds  which  are  undoubtedly  older  tertiary.  There  is  here 
shown  a  deep  yellow  arenaceous  indurated  clay  layer,  passing  down  into 
an  ashen-brown  grit,  with  rusty  yellow  concretions.  All  over  the  hills 
are  scattered  the  greatest  number  of  water- worn  boulders.  The  lignite 
strata  incline  in  the  same  direction  as  those  of  the  more  modern  deposits. 
The  dip  of  the  former  is  about  five  degrees  to  ten  degrees,  the  latter  one 
degree  to  three  degrees  east,  from  the  mountains.  There  are  many 
other  localities  where  the  evidence  of  non- conformity  of  the  two  deposits 
is  perfectly  clear. 

A  little  further  eastward  on  the  Dry  Creek  the  ridge  is  capped  with 
gray,  loosely  laminated  sandstone;  while  in  the  indurated  arenaceous 
bed  below  are  beds  of  massive  rusty  sandstone,  the  same  as  those  that 
compose  the  natural  fortifications  about  thirteen  miles  southwest  of 
Cheyenne.  The  ridge  extends  far  eastward  into  the  plain,  with  the  beds 
nearly  horizontal. 

Near  a  high  conical  butte  a  little  further  southward  we  find  the  lig- 
nite beds  dipping  85°  with  a  strike  nearly  north  and  south.  And  in  the 
south  and  southwest  we  can  see  the  upturned  ridges  of  cretaceous  and 
older  sedimentary  formations  composing  the  flanks  of  the  mountains. 
The  modern  tertiary  and  the  superficial  drift  deposits  have  been  so  re- 
moved from  the  mountain  side — about  ten  or  fifteen  miles  north  of 
Cache  la  Poudre — that  all  the  unchanged  sedimentary  rocks  in  this 
region  are  revealed  in  the  form  of  inclined  ridges,  which  gradually  die 
out  in  the  plains  eastward  like  sea  waves. 

A  bed  of  the  laminated  chalky  marl  of  No.  3  with  Ostrea  congesta  and 
Inoceramus  problematicus  is  particularly  noticeable.  In  the  lignite  beds 
harder  layers  of  rusty  sandstone,  with  loosely  laminated  arenaceous 
clay,  and  the  softer  materials  are  worn  away  by  erosion,  leaving  the 
harder  rocky  layers  projecting  above  the  surface  in  long  lines  like  walls. 

Near  Park  station,  about  twelve  miles  north  of  Cache  la  Poudre,  the 
upheaved  ridges  begin  to  spread  out,  revealing  very  clearly  to  the 
scrutiny  of  the  geologist  all  the  sedimentary  rocks,  to  the  tertiary  in- 
clusive. Commencing  in  the  plains  about  ten  miles  east  of  the  margin 
of  the  mountains  we  find  a  series  of  gently  inclined  tertiary  sandstones, 
dipping  from  5°  to  10°.  Then  come  the  complete  series  of  cretaceous 
strata  in  their  order,  inclining  from  20°  to  35°.  Underneath  the  ridge 
capped  with  the  sandstone  No.  1  is  a  thin  belt  of  ashen-gray  marls  and 
arenaceous  marls,  with  one  or  two  layers,  two  to  four  feet  thick,  of  hard 
blue  limestone,  which  I  regard  as  of  Jurassic  age.  These  pass  down 
into  light  reddish,  loose  arenaceous  sediments.  Further  toward  the 
mountains,  come  one  to  three  ridges  of  brick-red  sandstone,  and  loose 
red  sandy  layers,  sometimes  variegated.  Close  to  the  margin  of  the 
mountains,  sometimes  forming  the  inside  ridge,  is  a  bed  of  whitish  lime- 
stone, underlaid  by  dull  purplish  sandstone  and  pudding-stones,  which 
are  probably  of  carboniferous  age.  These  beds  dip  at  various  angles, 
from  30°  to  60°,  and,  as  far  as  I  can  determine,  conform  generally  to 
the  inclination  of  the  nietainorphic  rocks  which  compose  the  mountain 
nucleus. 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO.  19 

The  opening  in  the  foot-hills  of  the  mountains  through  which  Box 
Elder  Creek  flows  exhibits  the  red  beds  and  Jurassic  in  full  development. 
The  whitish-gray  sandstones,  which  lie  between  the  red  beds  and  the 
well-marked  cretaceous  strata,  contribute  much  toward  giving  sharp- 
ness of  outline  to  the  hills,  and  the  broken  masses  of  rock  from  this  bed 
are  scattered  over  their  sides. 

The  valley  of  the  Box  Elder  is  very  beautiful,  and,  like  the  valleys  of 
most  of  the  little  streams  here,  makes  its  way  through  the  ridges  and 
flanks  of  the  mountains,  nearly  at  right  angles  to  the  trend  of  the  strata. 

All  these  ridges,  or  "  hog-backs,"  as  they  are  called  by  the  settlers  of 
the  country,  vary  much  in  the  angle  of  dip.  It  not  unfrequently  occurs 
that  the  outer  and  more  recent  ridges  incline  at  a  very  high  angle,  or 
stand  nearly  vertical ;  and  there  are  many  examples  inhere  they  have 
been  tipped  several  degrees  past  vertically ;  while  the  inner  sandstone 
ridges,  lying  almost  against  the  metarnorphic  rocks,  incline  at  a  small 
angle  or  are  nearly  horizontal ;  and  again  this  may  be  reversed.  These 
mountain  valleys  are  not  only  beautiful,  but  they  are  covered  with  ex- 
cellent grass,  making  the  finest  pasture  grounds  for  stock  in  the  world. 
The  animals  are  so  sheltered  by  the  lofty  rock-walls  on  each  side  that 
they  remain  all  winter  in  good  condition  without  any  further  provision 
for  them. 

The  Box  Elder  separates  into  two  branches  in  the  foot-hills,  and  be- 
tween the  forks  there  is  a  large  circular  cone  with  nearly  horizontal 
strata  of  the  red  beds.  A  section,  ascending,  would  be  as  follows: 

1.  Brick-red  sandstone  with  irregular  Iamina3  and  all  the  usual  signs 
of  currents  or  shallow  water.    Some  of  the  layers  are  more  loosely  lami- 
nated than  others,  thus  causing  projecting  portions — 300  to  400  feet. 

2.  The  red  sandstone  passes  up  into  a  yellow  or  reddish-yellow  sand- 
stone, massive — 60  feet. 

3.  Passing  up  into  a  bed  of  grayish  yellow  rather  massive  sandstone — 
50  feet. 

4.  Ashen-brown   nodular  or  indurated  clay,  with  deep,  dull  purple 
bands  ;  with  some  layers  of  brown  and  yellow  fine-grained  sandstone, 
undoubtedly  the  usual  Jurassic  beds  with  all  the  lithological  characters 
as  seen  near  Lake  Como,  on  the  Union  Pacific  railroad — 150  to  200  feet. 

Near  the  base  of  these  beds  are  thin  layers  of  a  fine  grained  grayish 
calcareous  sandstone,  with  a  species  of  Ostrea  and  fragments  of  Penta- 
crinus  asteriscus.  Scattered  through  this  bed  are  layers  er  nodules  of 
impure  limestone. 

5.  Above  this  marly  clay  there  is  at  least  two  hundred  feet  of  sand- 
stone and  laminated  arenaceous  material,  varying  in  color  from  a  dirty 
brown  to  grayish  white,  with  layers  of  fine  grayish-white  standstone. 

I  do  not  hesitate  to  regard  the  beds  described  as  4  and  5  as  of  Jurassic 
age,  and  they  are  better  shown  here  than  at  any  other  point  between 
Fort  Laramie  and  the  south  line  of  Colorado  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  Usually  the  most  abundant  and  most  characteristic 
fossil  in  the  Jurassic  beds,  when  exposed,  is  Belcmnites  densus,  but  that 
has  not  been  observed  south  of  Lake  Corno,  west  of  the  Laramie  range. 
As  we  proceed  southward  these  Jurassic  beds  become  thinner  and  more 
obscure,  so  that  it  often  t)ecornes  a  matter  of  doubt  whether  they  exist 
at  all. 

We  have,  also,  in  this  vicinity  an  illustration  of  the  difference  of  in- 
clination in  the  same  series  of  upheaved  ridges.  In  the  plains  some  of 
the  lower  lignite  tertiary  beds  and  cretaceous  No.  5  stand  nearly  ver- 
tical, or  85°  east.  No.  4  fills  the  intervening  valley  with  its  dark  shale, 
and  the  next  ridge  west — cretaceous  No.  3 — inclines  30°.  Then  come 


20  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND  NEW   MEXICO. 

the  Jurassic  beds  capped  with  the  sandstones  of  No.  1,  inclining  8°. 
Then  comes  a  series  of  red  beds  dipping  1°  to  3°.  The  inner  ridge,  or 
"  hog-back,"  is  the  largest  of  all — one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred 
feet  high — is  partly  covered  on  the  east,  or  sloping  side,  with  the  loose 
red  sand  of  the  triassic ;  and  on  the  west  or  abrupt  side,  is  revealed  a 
considerable  thickness  of  limestone,  which  I  suppose  to  be  of  carbonif- 
erous age.  This  ridge  is  remarkably  furrowed  on  the  eastern  slope  by 
streams,  but  is  too  high  up  on  the  mountain  side  to  be  divided  by  the 
currents  into  the  peculiar  conical  fragments,  as  the  lower  ridges  are. 
And  hence  it  presents  an  almost  unbroken  flank  for  miles.  There  is 
no  better  exhibition  of  the  sedimentary  rocks,  with  all  their  peculiar 
characteristics  and  irregularities,  than  from  the  head  of  Box  Elder  Creek 
to  Cache  a  la  Poudre,  where  the  belt  of  upheaved  sedimentary  rocks 
varies  from  five  to  fifteen  miles  in  width.  No  one  could  stand  on  the 
summit  of  one  of  these  ridges  and  turn  his  eye  westward  over  the 
series,  rising  like  steps  to  the  mountain  summit,  and  then  looking 
eastward  across  the  broad  level  plain  where  the  smaller  ridges  die  out 
in  the  prairies,  like  waves  of  the  sea,  without  arriving  at  once  to  a  clear 
conception  of  the  plan  of  the  elevation  of  the  Eocky  Mountain  range. 

The  main  range  of  the  mountains  is  really  a  gigantic  anticlinal,  and 
all  the  lower  ranges  and  ridges  are  only  monoclinals,  descending,  step- 
like,  to  the  plains  on  each  side  of  the  central  axis.  There  are  some  vari- 
ations from  this  rule  at  many  localities,  which  I  shall  attempt  to  explain 
from  time  to  time  in  the  proper  place. 

One  of  these  ridges  is  quite  conspicuous  to  the  eye,  from  the  fact 
that  it  is  capped  with  a  heavy  bed  of  sandstone  which  I  have  always  re- 
garded as  transition  or  No.  1  (?)  because  it  holds  a  position  between 
the  well-defined  cretaceous  beds  Nos.  2  and  3,  and  the  Jurassic. 

Not  a  single  well-marked  fossil,  animal  or  vegetable,  has  ever  been 
found  in  this  group  of  strata  along  the  flanks  of  the  inoun tains j  yet  I 
do  not  hesitate  to  regard  them  as  lower  cretaceous. 

On  the  summits  of  all  these  ridges  are  numerous  piles  of  rocks  which 
have  been  erected  by  Indians  in  years  past  as  monuments  or  land-marks. 

Inside  of  the  sedimentary  ridges  are  the  metamorphic  rocks,  mostly 
red  feldspathic  granites,  disintegrating  readily,  and  easily  detected  by 
the  eye  at  a  distance  by  their  style  of  weathering.  Still  further  west- 
ward are  the  lofty  snow-capped  ranges,  whose  eternal  snows  form  the 
sources  of  the  permanent  streams  of  the  country. 

It  seems  clear  to  me  that  the  more  recent  sedimentary  formations,  up 
to  the  lignite  tertiary,  inclusive,  once  extended  over  the  whole  country. 
Perhaps  no  finer  locality  exists  in  the  West  for  the  careful  study  of  the 
different  sedimentary  formations  and  their  relations  to  the  metamorphic 
rocks  than  along  the  overland  stage  road  from  Laramie  to  Denver. 

Before  reaching  Laporte  the  road  passes  for  twenty  miles  or  more 
through  ridge  after  ridge  remarkably  well  exposed.  After  emerging 
from  the  mountains  eastward  it  runs  south  for  four  or  five  miles  along 
the  cretaceous  beds  with  their  upturned  edges  on  the  east  side,  and  the 
Jurassic  and  triassic  (?)  on  {he  west  forming  a  slope  much  like  the  roof 
of  a  house.  The  valley  between  the  two  ridges  through  which  the  road 
runs  is  a  beautiful  one. 

South  of  Big  Thompson  Creek  the  belt  of  upheaved  ridges,  or  un- 
changed rocks,  becomes  quite  narrow,  and  continues  so  to  Denver,  and 
even  beyond. 

The  cretaceous  rocks  in  this  region,  though  plain  to  one  who  has 
carefully  studied  them  on  the  Upper  Missouri,  are  not  separated  into 
well-marked  divisions.  If  they  had  first  been  studied  along  the  foot  of  the 


SURVEY   OF    COLORADO   AND    NEW   MEXICO.  21 

mountains  only  from  Cheyenne  southward,  it  is  very  doubtful  whether 
the  five  distinct  groups  of  strata  would  have  been  made  out.  The  three 
divisions,  upper,  middle,  and  lower  cretaceous,  are  more  natural  south 
of  the  North  Platte,  inasmuch  as  Nos.  2,  3,  4,  and  5  pass  into  each  other 
by  imperceptible  gradations.  Though  very  few  organic  remains  are  ob- 
served in  them,  yet  I  have  never  found  the  slightest  difficulty  in  detect- 
ing the  different  divisions  at  a  glance  by  their  lithological  characters, 
but  I  find  it  quite  impossible  to  draw  any  line  of  separation  that  will  be 
permanent.  Quite  marked  changes  occur  in  the  sediments  of  these 
divisions  in  different  parts  of  the  West,  but  by  following  them  continu- 
ously, in  every  direction,  from  their  typical  appearance  on  the  Upper 
Missouri,  the  changes  are  so  gradual  that  I  have  never  lost  sight  of 
them  for  a  mile,  unless  concealed  by  more  recent  deposits. 

As  I  have  before  stated,  I  regard  the  group  of  sandstones  which  are 
always  found  between  well-defined  cretaceous  No.  2  and  the  Jurassic 
beds  as  No.  1,  or  transition.  No.  2  is  certainly  well  shown,  with  many  of 
its  features,  but  it  is  a  black  shale,  often  arenaceous,  containing  many  lay- 
ers of  sandstone  with  some  concretions;  but  so  gradually  passing  up  into 
No.  3  that  it  is  quite  impossible  to  separate  the  two.  Only  in  thin  portions 
of  either  Nos.  2  or  3  do  we  find  any  resemblance  to  the  same  groups  as 
shown  on  the  Upper  Missouri.  No.  3  is  a  thinly-laminated  yellow 
chalky  shale  with  some  layers  of  gray,  rather  chalky  limestone,  always 
containing  an  abundance  of  Inoceramus,  doubtless  I.  problematicus,  and 
Ostrea  congesta.  Kemains  of  fishes  are  almost  always  found  in  the  dark 
shales  of  No.  2.  The  black  shales  of  No.  4  are  quite  conspicuous  and 
well  marked,  and  have  been  quite  thoroughly  prospected  for  coal,  but 
to  no  purpose.  These  black  shales  pass  gradually  up  into  yellow  rusty 
arenaceous  clays  which  characterize  No.  5 ;  and  No.  5  passes  up  into  the 
i lignite  tertiary  beds,  where  they  can  be  seen  in  contact,  without  any 
Iwell-defined  line  of  separation  that  I  could  ever  discover.  But  few 
species  of  fossils  are  found  in  Nos.  4  and  5  in  their  southern  extension, 
but  Baculites  ovatus  and  several  species  of  Inoceramus  Ammonites,  &c., 
are  common.  Another  feature  is  well  marked  here,  and  that  is,  there 
are  no  beds  that  indicate  long  periods  of  quiet  deposition  of  the  sedi- 
ments. Nearly  all  the  sediments  indicate  either  comparatively  shallow 
water  or  currents  more  or  less  rapid. 

Sometimes  a  single  ridge  will  include  all  the  beds  of  one  formation, 
or  even  those  of  two  or  three.  I  have  often  seen  the  sandstones  of  No.  1. 
the  Jurassic,  and  a  portion  of  the  triassic  included  in  one  ridge  and  the 
adjoining  valley.  Again,  a  single  formation  will  be  split  up  into  two  or 
more  ridges. 

On  the  Cache  a  la  Poudre,  about  a  mile  above  Laporte,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  river,  the  sandstones  of  No.  1  are  separated  into  four  success- 
ive ridges,  inclining,  respectively,  18°,  21°,  35°,  and  46°  about  southeast. 
Much  of  this  sandstone  is  a  fine-grained  grayish  white,  and  rusty  yellow 
color,  sometimes  concretionary,  or  like  indurated  mud.  Here  all  the  divi- 
sions of  the  cretaoeous  extend  eastward  in  low  ridges  until  they  die  out 
in  the  plains  or  are  concealed  by  the  overlying  tertiary.  Along  the  Cache  a 
la  Poudre  and  its  branches  is  a  series  of  terraces  which  are  quite  uniform. 

This  valley  is  one  of  tlfe  most  fertile  in  Colorado.  The  present  year 
there  has  been  so  much  rain  that  irrigation  has  been  unnecessary.  The 
bottom  lands  are  about  two  miles  wide,  and  thickly  settled  from  mouth 
to  source.  The  grass  is  unusually  fine  this  year  everywhere. 

July  2. — In  company  with  Dr.  Smith,  of  Laporte,  I  visited  the  sup- 
posed gold  and  copper  mines  at  or  near  the  sources  of  the  Cache  4  la 
Poudre  Eiver.  This  stream  makes  its  way  through  what  might  be  called 


22  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

a  monoclinal  rift,  or  between  two  ridges,  whether  of  changed  or  unchanged 
rocks  which  incline  in  the  same  direction.  We  ascend  to  the  axis 
of  the  main  Eocky  Mountain  range  by  a  series  of  step-like  ridges,  each  one 
inclining  in  the  same  general  direction  at  some  angle,  with  their  counter- 
parts on  the  opposite  side  of  the  main  axis.  Speaking  of  these  ridges 
locally,  I  have  called  them  in  this  report  monoclinal,  from  the  fact,  that 
as  a  rule  their  counterparts,  although  they  have  once  existed  on  the  west 
side  of  the  range,  are  in  most  cases  swept  away.  We  passed  up  a  beau- 
tiful valley  with  the  red  beds  on  our  left,  and  a  few  remnants  of  the  red 
beds  and  the  metamorphic  rocks  on  our  right,  for  about  fifteen  miles.  We 
then  came  to  the  red  feldspathic  granites,  in  which  the  mineral  lodes  are 
located.  Wre  first  examined  a  local  vein  of  black  rock,  in  which  horn- 
blende predominates.  It  contains  some  mica  and  iron,  so  that  it  might 
be  called  a  local  outcrop  of  black  hornblende  syenite.  Masses  of  it 
have  a  rusty  look  from  the  decomposition  of  the  iron  in  the  rock,  and 
sometimes  it  is  covered  with  an  incrustation  of  common  salt  or  potash. 
Iron  in  some  form  is  one  of  the  prpminent  constituents  of  all  the  rocks 
of  this  region,  changed  or  unchanged.  So  far  as  I  could  determine,  the 
inclination  of  the  metamorphic  rocks  is  in  the  same  direction  as  the  sed- 
imentary. I  have  assumed  the  position  that  all  the  rocks  of  the  West 
are,  or  were,  stratified,  and  that  where  no  lines  of  stratification  can  be 
seen,  as  in  some  of  the  massive  granites,  they  have  been  obliterated  by 
heat  during  their  metamorphism.  Therefore  all  the  metamorphic  rocks, 
whether  stratified  or  massive,  that  form  the  nucleus  of  the  Eocky  Moun- 
tains, must  have  some  angle  of  dip,  equally  with  the  sedimentary  rocks. 
In  many  cases  I  have  to  be  guided  by  the  intercalated  beds  of  mica  or 
talcose  slates.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  there  are  anticlinals  and  syn- 
clinals among  the  metamorphic  rocks  of  this  region,  and  that  the  mount- 
ain valleys  are  thus  formed  for  the  most  part. 

We  examined  a  number  of  lodes  which  were  moderately  rich  in  copper. 
All  the  lodes  have  a  trend  about  northeast  and  southwest,  and  are  two 
to  four  feet  wide,  with  well-defined  walls.  Much  of  the  gangue  rock  is 
spongy  like  slag,  owing  to  the  decomposition  of  iron  pyrites  ;  and  there 
are  large  masses  of  the  casts  of  cubes,  evidently  cubes  of  iron  pyrites. 
Our  examinations  were  not  very  thorough,  but  I  was  not  favorably  im- 
pressed with  this  district  as  a  rich  mineral  region.  Some  of  the  copper 
mines,  at  some  future  day,  may  yield  a  fair  return,  but  it  will  be  many 
years  before  the  country  will  be  built  up  by  its  mineral  wealth. 

July  3. — Our  route  to-day  was  along  the  flanks  of  the  mountains,  from 
Cache  a  la  Poudre  to  Big  Thompson  Creek.  Lying  over  the  red  beds 
and  appearing  to  form  a  dividing  line  between  the  red  beds  and  the 
ashen-gra>  marly  clays  above,  is  a  well-defined  bed  of  bluish  semi-crys- 
talline limestone,  two  to  four  feet  thick,  somewhat  cherty,  though  sus- 
ceptible of  a  high  polish,  too  brittle  and  liable  to  fracture  in  any 
direction  to  be  valuable  for  ornamental  purposes — probably  useful  for 
lime  only.  I  regard  this  as  of  Jurassic  age,  although  I  was  unable  to 
find  in  it  any  well-marked  organic  remains.  The  same  bed  occurs  in  the 
Laramie  plains,  where  it  contains  many  fragments  of  crinoidal  stems, 
which  Professor  Agassiz  referred  to  the  well-known  Jurassic  genus 
Apiocrinites. 

On  the  summit  of  the  first  main  "hogback"  is  a  bed  of  massive 
sandstone,  immense  blocks  of  which  have  fallen  down  on  the  inner  side 
of  the  ridge,  adding  much  to  the  wildness  as  well  as  ruggeduess  of  the 
scenery.  These  rocks  are  made  up  almost  entirely  of  an  aggregation  of 
small  water- worn  pebbles.  The  layers  of  deposition  are  very  irregular, 
inclining  at  various  angles.  This  irregularity  in  the  laminae  is  a  marked 


SURVEY    OF   COLORADO    AND    NEW    MEXICO.  23 

feature  of  this  sandstone*  It  forms  a  portion  of  the  group  which  I  have 
called  transition,  or  No.  1.  They  are  certainly  beds  of  passage  from 
well-marked  cretaceous  to  the  Jurassic,  and  the  lower  portion  being 
almost  invariably  a  pudding-stone,  they  may  well  mark  the  boundary 
between  the  two  great  periods.  In  many  places  along  our  route  this 
group  forms  lofty  perpendicular  escarpments,  varying  from  thirty  to  sixty 
feet  in  height,  indicating  a  considerable  thickness  of  the  massive  sand- 
stone. For  fifteen  miles  we  can  pass  along  behind  this  hog-back  ridge  par- 
allel with  the  mountains,  through  a  most  beautiful  valley  with  fine  grass,, 
and  over  an  excellent  natural  road.  On  our  left  are  the  upturned, 
edges  of  a  ridge  capped  with  No.  1,  passing  down  into  the  limestone  and 
ashen  marly  clays  of  the  Jurassic,  with  a  few  feet  of  the  red  sandstone 
at  the  base,  while  the  valley,  which  may  be  three  hundred  to  five  hun- 
dred yards  wide,  is  composed  of  the  worn  edges  of  the  loose  red  beds  of 
the  triassic,  and  on  our  right  are  the  variegated  sands  and  sandstones  of 
the  formation. 

South  of  Cache  a  la  Poudre  there  seem  to  be  but  two  principal  ridges 
between  the  transition  group  No.  1  and  the  metamorphic  rocks, 
although  at  times  each  one  of  these  ridges  will  split  up  into  a  number  of 
subordinate  ridges  which  soon  merge  into  the  main  ridge  again.  In 
most  cases  the  inner  ridge  includes  all  the  red  beds  proper,  and  there  is 
a  well-defined  valley  between  it  and  the  metamorphic  rocks,  but  some- 
times the  sedimentary  beds  flank  the  immediate  sides  of  the  metamor- 
phic ridge.  Through  these  ridges  are  openings  made  by  the  little  streams 
which  issue  from  the  mountain's  side.  Sometimes  these  openings  are  cut 
deep  through  to  the  water  level,  and  at  other  times  for  only  a  few  feet  from 
the  summit.  Sometimes  there  is  a  stream  of  water  flowing  through 
them,  but  most  of  them  are  dry  during  the  summer.  These  notches  in 
the  ridges  occur  every  few  hundred  yards  all  along  the  foot  of  the 
mountains. 

The  cretaceous  and  tertiary  beds  generally  form  several  low  ridges 
which  are  not  conspicuous.  The  principal  ridge  outside,  next  to  the 
plains,  is  composed  of  the  limestones  of  No.  3,  which  is  smoothly 
rounded  and  covered  with  fragments  or  chips  of  limestone.  Between 
this  and  the  next  ridge  west,  there  is  a  beautiful  concave  valley  about 
one-fourth  of  a  mile  wide.  The  line  between  the  upper  part  and  the  foot 
of  the  ridge  proper  is  most  perfectly  marked  out  by  the  grass.  The  east 
slope  of  this  ridge  is  like  the  roof  of  a  house,  so  steep  that  but  little  soil 
can  attach  to  it,  and  in  consequence  of  this  it  can  sustain  only  thin  grass 
and  stinted  shrubs.  These  ridges  are  sharp  or  rounded,  depending  upon 
the  character  of  the  rocks  of  which  they  are  composed.  Cretaceous 
formation,  No.  3,  yields  so  readily  to  atmospheric  agencies,  that  the  ridges 
composed  of  it  are  usually  low  and  rounded,  and  paved  with  chipped  frag- 
ments of  the  shell  limestone.  The  harder  sandstones  give  a  sharpness  of 
outline  to  the  ridges  which  has  earned  for  them  the  appellation  of  "hog- 
backs," by  the  inhabitants  of  the  country.  In  No.  3  I  found  Ostrea  con- 
gesta  very  abundant,  and  a  species  of  Inoceramus  identical  with  the  one 
occurring  in  the  limestone  at  South  Boulder,  and  the  same  as  the  one 
figured  by  Hall  in  Fremont's  Report,  Plate  IV,  Fig.  2,  and  compared 
with  Inoceramus  involutus,  (Sowerby,)  page  310.  The  lower  part  of  No. 
.3,  containing  the  Inoceramus,  is  a  gray  marly  limestone,  which  passes  up 
into  a  yellow  chalky  shale,  which  weathers  into  a  rusty  yellow  marl  that 
gives  wonderful  fertility  to  the  soil,  while  the  dark  shales  of  Nos.  2  and 
4,  as  well  as  the  rusty  arenaceous  clays  of  No.  5,  are  distinctly  revealed 
at  different  localities.  The  light-colored  chalky  limestones  of  No.  3  are 


24  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

more  conspicuous  at  all  times  along  the  foot-Mils  of  the  mountains,  even 
to  New  Mexico,  than  any  other  portion  of  the  cretaceous  group. 

The  valley  of  Thompson  Creek  is  very  fertile,  varying  from  half  a 
mile  to  a  mile  in  width,  is  filled  up  with  settlers,  and  most  of  the  land 
is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  The  creek  itself  is  one  of  the  pure 
swift-flowing  mountain  streams  which  have  their  source  in  the  very 
divide  or  summit  of  the  water-shed,  and  are  rendered  permanent  by  the 
melting  of  the  snows.  All  these  mountain  streams  would  furnish  abund- 
ant water-power,  most  of  them  having  a  fall  of  thirty  feet  to  the  mile. 

There  seems  to  be  a  decided  improvement  in  the  soil  as  we  go  south- 
ward. The  geological  formations  are  the  same,  but  the  climate  is  more 
favorable. 

On  a  terrace  on  the  north  side  of  Big  Thompson  Creek  there  is  a  bed 
of  recent  conglomerate,  quite  perfect,  and  belonging  to  the  modern  drift 
period.  It  is  very  coarse,  and  the  worn  boulders  are  held  together  by 
sesquioxide  of  iron.  I  note  it  here  as  an  example  of  very  recent  conglom- 
erate. There  is  much  line  sand,  and  the  rounded  stones  are  exactly 
like  those  which  pave  the  bottoms  of  streams.  The  thickness  of  this 
boulder  deposit  is  considerable,  and  it  seems  to  underlie  the  whole  val- 
ley portion  of  the  country. 

The  cretaceous  beds  of  No.  3  pass  down  into  a  yellowish  sandstone 
which  forms  a  low  ridge  on  the  north  side  of  Big  Thompson  Creek. 
Two  or  three  low  ridges  of  cretaceous  appear  east  of  this  point,  but  die 
out  in  the  prairie.  This  ridge  inclines  15°,  then  comes  a  valley  about 
one-fourth  of  a  mile  wide,  and  a  second  ridge  of  rusty  reddish  fine- 
grained sandstone,  evidently  No.  1,  or  the  transition  group.  This  ridge 
inclines  25°.  Underlying  the  sandstone,  which  forms  a  large  part  of 
this  ridge,  we  find  the  ashen-gray  marly  and  arenaceous  clays  of  the 
Jurassic,  including  some  thin  beds  of  sandstone  and  one  layer  of  lime- 
stone four  to  six  feet  thick,  which  has  been  much  used  for  lime  among 
the  farmers.  These  beds  pass  down  without  any  perceptible  break  into 
the  light  brick-red  sandstones  which  form  the  next  two  ridges  west- 
ward. These  beds  have  a  dip  of  30°.  About  the  middle  of  the  red 
beds  there  is  a  layer  of  impure  limestone  standing  nearly  vertical  65°, 
two  to  four  feet  thick,  which  has  also  been  used  somewhat  for  lime. 
The  next  ridge  west  has  a  rather  thick  bed — ten  to  fifteen  feet — of  very 
rough  impure  limestone  looking  somewhat  like  very  hard  calcareous 
tufa.  T,he  intermediate  beds  are  loose  brick-red  sands. 

There  is  here  a  somewhat  singular  dynamic  feature — a  local  anticli- 
nal. One  of  the  ridges  flexes  around  from  an  east  dip  to  a  west  dip,  from, 
the  fact  that  one  of  the  eastern  ranges  of  mountains  runs  out  in  the 
prairie  near  this  point,  forming  at  the  south  end  originally  a  sort  of 
semi-quaquaversal,  the  erosive  action  having  worn  away  the  central 
portions.  This  forms  a  short  anticlinal  of  about  a  mile  in  length.  On 
the  east  side  of  the  anticlinal  valley  the  principal  ridges  are  shown,  inclu- 
ding nearly  all  the  red  beds ;  and  on  the  west  side,  only  the  upper  portions 
of  the  red  sandstones  with  the  Jurassic  beds  and  the  transition  sand- 
stones. The  latter  rocks  form  the  nearly  vertical  wall  in  which  is 
located  a  somewhat  noted  aperture  called  the  "Bear's  Church."  In  the 
west  part  of  this  anticlinal,  within  twenty  feet  of  the  brick-red  sand- 
stones, is  a  blue,  brittle  limestone  layer  about  six  feet  thick,  inclining 
seventy-eight  degrees.  This  west  portion  of  the  anticlinal  might  be 
described  across  the  upturned  edges  thus,  commencing  at  the  bottom: 

1.  Bather  light  brick-red  sandstones  in  three  layers — estimated  200 
feet. 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO.  25 

2.  The  red  bed  passes  up  into  a  massive  reddish- gray  rather  fine  sand- 
stone— 20  feet. 

3.  Then  conies  a  thin  layer  of  fine  bluish-brown  sandstone — 2  feet; 
then  the  bluish  limestone — 4  feet. 

4.  Then  about  twenty-five  feet  of  ashen  clay,  with  six  to  ten  feet  of 
blue  cherty  limestone,  with  some  partings  of  clay. 

5.  About  two  hundred  feet  of  variegated  clays. 

6.  A  bed  of  quite  pure  limestone,   blue,   semi-crystalline — four  to 
eight  feet.    The  grass  prevents  definite  measurements,  and  all  the  beds 
vary  in  thickness  in  different  places,  as  well  as  in  dip,  which  is  from  60° 
to  800. 

7.  This  intermediate  space  is  covered  over  with  a  loose  drab  yellow 
sand,  doubtless  derived  from  the  erosion  of  the  edges  of  the  beds  beneath, 
which  are  supposed  to  be  Jurassic.    There  is  one  bed  of  limestone  about 
two  feet  thick,  similar  to  that  before  described.    All  these  limestones 
appear  to  contain  obscure  fragments  of  organic  remains. 

8.  A  nearly  vertical  wall  of  sandstone ;  dip  60°  to  65°.    This  bed  is 
formed  of  massive  layers,  in  all,  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  thick  or 
more,  and  is  composed  largely  of  an  aggregate  of  small  water-worn 
pebbles  of  all  kinds.    Most  of  the  pebbles  are  of  inetamorphic  origin,  but 
some  of  them  appear  to  have  been  derived  from  unchanged  rocks. 
There  are  also  layers  of  fine-grained  sandstone.    The  prevailing  color  is 
a  rusty  yellow  and  light  gray.    Most  of  the  sandstones  in  this  country 
are  of  a  rusty  yellow  color ;  No.  1,  cretaceous. 

9.  A  broad  space,  three  hundred  to  four  hundred  feet,  grassed  over. 
The  slope  is  complete,  but  it  is  undoubtedly  made  up  of  the  sands  and 
sandstones  at  the  base  of  the  cretaceous  group. 

10.  A  fine  sandstone  passing  up  into  a  close  compact  flinty  rock.    This 
is  a  low  ridge,  appearing  only  now  and  then  above  the  grassy  surface. 
The  slope  then  continues  down  to  the  stream  which  flows  through  the 
synclinal  valley  about  a  mile  wide,  and  then  we  come  to  the  grassy  slope 
on  the  mountain  side  inclining  east  again.    A  little  below  this  point  the 
creek  cuts  through  the  sandstone  and  black  clays  of  No.  2,  conforming 
perfectly  to  the  wall  of  sandstone  No.  1. 

It  is  now  well  known  that  the  great  Rocky  Mountain  system  is  not 
composed  of  a  single  range,  but  a  vast  series  of  ranges,  covering  a  width 
of  six  hundred  to  one  thousand  miles.  There  are  also  two  kinds  of 
ranges,  one  with  a  granitoid  nucleus,  with  long  lines  of  fracture,  and  in 
the  aggregate  possessing  a  specific  trend  j  the  other  has  a  basaltic  nucleus, 
and  is  composed  of  a  series  of  volcanic  cones  or  outbursts  of  igneous 
rocks,  in  many  cases  forming  those  saw-like  ridges  or  sierras,  as  the  Sierra 
Nevada,  Sierra  Madre,  &c.  Along  the  eastern  portion  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  from  the  north  line  to  New  Mexico,  the  ranges  with  a  gran- 
itoid nucleus  prevail.  Each  one  of  the  main  ranges  is  sometimes  split 
up  into  a  number  of  fragments,  which  locally  may  vary  somewhat  from 
a  definite  direction,  but  the  aggregate  trend  will  be  about  northwest 
and  southeast. 

As  I  have  before  stated,  each  one  of  the  main  ranges  seems  to  me  to 
form  a  gigantic  anticlinal  with  a  principal  axis  of  elevation,  and  the  lower 
parallel  ranges  descending  like  steps  to  the  plains,  or  to  the  synclinal 
valley.  If,  for  example,  we  were  to  study  carefully  one  of  the  minor 
mountain  ranges,  as  the  Black  Hills  of  Dakota,  or  the  Laramie  range, 
where  the  system  is  very  complete  and  regular,  we  should  find  a  central 
granitic  axis,  and  on  each  side  a  series  of  granitic  ridges  parallel  with  it, 
and  in  the  aggregate  trending  nearly  north  and  south.  And  on  the  east- 
ern portion  of  the  anticlinal,  the  east  side  of  the  minor  ridges  slopes 


26  SUEVEY    OF    COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

gently  down,  while  the  west  side  is  abrupt;  and  on  the  western  portion 
vice  verm.  But  if  we  take  the  ridges  singly  and  examine  them,  we  shall 
find  in  most  cases  that  the  aggregate  trend  is  nearly  northwest  and  south- 
east. The  consequence  is,  that  as  we  pass  along  under  the  eastern  flanks 
of  the  mountain  from  north  to  south,  these  minor  ranges  or  ridges  pre- 
sent a  sort  of  "en  echelon"  appearance;  that  is,  they  run  out  one  after 
the  other  in  the  prairies,  preserving  the  nearly  north  and  south  course 
of  the  entire  system.  Not  unfrequeritly  a  group  or  several  of  these 
ridges  will  run  out  at  the  same  time,  forming  a  huge  notch  in  the  main 
range.  This  notch  in  most  cases  forms  a  vast  depression  with  a  great 
number  of  side  depressions  or  rifts  in  the  mountains,  which  give  birth  to 
a  water  system  of  greater  or  less  'extent.  Such,  for  example,  is  the  notch 
at  Cache  a  la  Poudre,  Colorado  City,  Canon  City,  on  the  Arkansas  Eiver, 
and  other  localities.  If  we  were  to  examine  the  excellent  topographical 
maps  issued  by  the  War  Department,  which  are  beyond  comparison  the 
most  correct  and  most  scientific  of  our  Eocky  Mountain  region  in  exist- 
ence, we  should  at  once  note  the  tendency  of  all  the  minor  ranges,  with 
a  continued  line  of  fracture  and  a  granitic  nucleus,  to  a  southeast  and 
northwest  trend ;  sometimes  it  is  nearly  north  and  south,  and  then  these 
ranges  pass  out  or  come  to  an  end  without  producing  any  marked  in- 
fluence on  the  topography,  except,  perhaps,  some  little  stream  will  flow 
down  into  the  plain  through  the  monoelinal  rift.  But  when  several  of 
these  minor  ranges  come  to  an  end  together,  an  abrupt  jog  of  several 
miles  toward  the  west  is  caused.  Then  frequently  as  the  range  dies  out, 
a  local  anticlinal  or  a  semi  quaquaversal  dip  is  given  to  the  sedimentary 
beds.  Between  the  notches  or  breaks  in  the  mountains,  the  belt  of 
ridges  or  " hog-backs"  becomes  very  narrow,  sometimes  even  hardly 
visible,  and  sometimes  entirely  concealed  by  superficial  deposits.  But 
at  these  breaks  the  series  of  ridges  split  up  and  spread  out  so  as  to  cover 
an  area  from  half  a  mile  to  ten  or  fifteen,  miles  in  width.  It  is  in  these 
localities  that  the  complete  geological  structure  of  the  country  can  be 
studied  in  detail.  I  do  not  know  of  any  portion  of  the  West  where  there 
is  so  much  variety  displayed  in  the  geology  as  within  a  space  of  ten 
miles  square  around  Colorado  City.  Nearly  all  the  elements  of  geological 
study  revealed  in  the  Eocky  Mountains  are  shown  on  a  unique  scale  in 
this  locality.  The  same  may  be  said,  though  in  a  less  degree,  of  the 
valley  of  the  Arkansas  as  it  emerges  from  the  mountains  near  Canon 
City.  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  it  is  only  in  these  localities  that 
rocks  older  than  the  triassic  or  red  beds  are  shown  along  the  eastern 
flanks  of  the  mountains  south  of  Cheyenne.  I  have  looked  in  vain  for 
a  single  exposure  of  well-defined  paleozoic  strata  from  Big  Thompson  to 
Colorado  City,  a  distance  of  over  one  hundred  miles.  I  am  now  con- 
vinced that  in  the  north,  the  paleozoic  rocks  are  often  concealed  for  long 
distances,  although  I  have  usually  represented  them  by  colors  on  a  geolo- 
gical map  by  a  continuous  band  along  the  mountains.  That  they  exist 
continuously  along  the  eastern  margius  in  Colorado  and  New  Mexico  I 
cannot  doubt,  but  only  at  these  specially  favored  localities  do  they 
appear  from  beneath  the  triassic  or  red  beds.  They  are,  however,  far 
more  frequently  exposed  further  northward,  and  I  think  much  more 
largely  developed. 

Between  Big  and  Little  Thompson  Creeks  the  ridges  are  very  numer- 
ous and  bold,  and  it  would  seem  as  if  the  massive  fine-grained  sandstones 
predominated,  for  they  cap  all  the  ridges,  and  the  broken  masses,  often 
of  large  size,  are  scattered  in  great  profusion  everywhere.  In  one  valley 
the  abrupt  side,  which  was  composed  of  red  sandstone,  presented  an 


SURVEY    OF    COLORADO   AND    NEW    MEXICO.  27 

unusually  massive  front,  and  in  many  places,  are  weathered  into  the  gro- 
tesque forms  so  well  shown  southwest  of  Denver. 

Near  the  head  of  Little  Thompson  the  ridges  are  admirably  well  shown. 
Two  beds  of  sandstone,  belonging  to  the  lower  cretaceous  group,  seem  to 
have  broken  off  in  the  process  of  elevation,  and  so  tipped  over  that  the 
upper  edges  are  past  verticality.  The  upper  cretaceous  beds  really  form 
but  one  principal  ridge,  although  made  up  of  three  or  four  subordinate 
ones.  The  sediments  of  these  beds  are  so  soft  and  yielding  that  they 
have  been  easily  worn  down  smoothly  or  rounded  off  and  grassed  over 
for  the  most  part.  But  by  looking  across  it,  it  is  not  difficult  to  detect 
the  black  shales  of  No.  4,  the  yellow  laminated  chalky  marl  of  No.  3  pass- 
ing into  the  alternate  layers  of  light-gray  limestone  and  black  plastic  clays 
of  No.  2.  As  the  little  streams  cut  through  these  ridges  at  right  angles, 
they  reveal  not  only  the  different  beds,  but  also  the  dip  very  distinctly. 

The  Little  Thompson  begins  to  show  evidences  of  enormous  drift 
agencies  in  the  thick  deposit  of  gravel,  the  high  table  lands  on  each  side 
of  the  creek,  with  here  and  there  a  butte  with  the  top  planed  off,  and 
over  the  surface  is  strewn  a  vast  quantity  of  loose  material  which  has 
been  washed  down  from  the  mountains.  Each  one  of  the  little  streams 
has  worn  its  way  through  the  ridges  of  upheaval,  usually  making  enor- 
mous gorges,  but  sometimes  producing  wide  open  valleys.  The  valley 
of  St.  Vrain  Creek  is  one  of  these  valleys  of  erosion,  with  broad  table 
lands  or  terraces  on  each  side,  leaving  the  divide  in  the  form  of  a  con- 
tinuous smooth  bench,  extending  far  down  into  the  prairie,  giving  to  the 
surface  of  the  country  a  beautiful  and  almost  artificial  appearance. 

The  banks  of  the  St.  Train  seem  to  be  composed  of  an  upper  covering 
of  yellow  marl,  which  soon  passes  down  into  gravel.  The  soil  appears 
to  derive  its  fertility  from  the  eroded  calcareous  sediments  of  No.  3,  but 
it  rests  upon  a  great  thickness  of  a  recent  conglomerate,  cemented,  in 
part  at  least,  with  oxide  of  iron.  The  greatest  width  of  this  valley  is 
over  ten  miles,  gradually  sloping  down  to  the  bed  of  the  creek  from  the 
north.  The  abrupt  side  is  on  the  south,  where  a  bank  fifty  feet  high  is 
cut  by  the  channel  of  the  stream.  This  bank  increases  in  height  toward 
the  mountains,  but  becomes  lower  further  down  the  stream  eastward. 
Above  this  bank,  southward,  is  a  broad  level  plain  about  two  miles  in 
width,  and  then  a  gentle  rise  leads  to  another  broad  table  plain  which 
forms  a  bench  or  divide. 

On  the  north  side  of  St.*Vrain  Creek,  near  the  foot  of  the  mountains, 
there  is  a  long  ridge  of  rather  rusty  yellow  and  gray  sandstone,  with  a 
trend  about  north  5°  east,  or  nearly  north  and  south.  There  are  also 
two  other  ridges,  with  a  dip  varying  between  45°  and  55°  east.  The  first 
ridge  is  about  one  hundred  feet  across  the  upturned  edges,  and  there  is 
then  westward  a  grassy  interval  of  three  hundred  feet,  and  then  another 
ridge  of  about  the  same  thickness,  the  harder  layers  projecting  above 
the  grassy  plain  from  two  to  thirty  feet.  It  presents  the  appearance,  in 
the  distance,  of  a  high,  rugged,  irregular  wall,  or  broken-down  fortifica- 
tion, and  is  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  length.  These  are  the  lower 
sandstones  of  the  lignite  tertiary  projecting  above  the  grassy  plain. 

Near  the  foot-hills  of  the  mountains,  about  four  miles  south  of  St. 
Vrain's  Creek,  are  some  high  cretaceous  benches,  extending  down  from 
the  base  of  the  mountains.  They  usually  do  not  extend  more  than  one 
or  two  miles  in  length  before  they  break  off,  sometimes  abruptly  and 
sometimes  gradually.  Not  imfrequently  a  sort  of  truncated  cone-shaped 
butte  is  cut  off  from  the  end  of  some  of  the  benches.  On  the  summit  is  a 
considerable  thickness  of  a  recent  conglomerate  which  has  been 
cemented  so  as  to  form  a  tolerably  firm  rock.  In  this  drift  some  frag- 


28  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

merits  of  the  red  sandstone  are  found,  but  the  rocks  are  mostly  granitic. 
Sometimes  there  is  a  valley  scooped  out  between  these  benches  and  the 
foot  of  the  mountains ;  and  again,  they  ascend  gently  up  to  the  base 
and  lap  on  to  the  flanks.  Sometimes  in  the  interval  between  these 
benches  there  is  a  low,  intermediate  level  or  terrace  about  fifty  feet 
above  the  valley.  The  higher  benches  are  about  two  hundred  feet  above 
the  bottom.  It  is  to  this  peculiar  configuration  of  the  surface  into  bench 
and  terrace,  that  the  wonderful  beauty  of  this  region  is  due.  In  the 
distance  southward  can  be  seen  a  continuation  of  the  ridges  of  tertiary 
sandstone  as  they  project  above  the  surface  far  in  the  plains,  five  to 
eight  miles  from  the  base  of  the  mountains.  There  are  some  of  these 
sandstone  ridges  from  one  hundred  to  three  hundred  yards  apart ;  the 
intervals  level  and  completely  grassed  over,  so  that  the  laminated  clays 
or  coal  beds  are  entirely  concealed  from  view.  These  ridges  continue 
to  appear  above  the  surface  now  and  then,  nearly  to  Denver.  Where 
they  pass  across  the  valleys  of  streams,  or  even  dry  branches,  openings 
are  made  of  greater  or  less  depth  and  width,  which  give  the  irregular 
outlines  to  the  sandstone  ridges. 

Between  St.  Vrain  Creek  and  Left-hand  Creek  there  is  a  broad  plateau, 
about  ten  miles  wide,  which  is  as  level  to  the  eye  as  a  table  top.  It  is 
covered  over  with  partially  worn  boulders.  Near  the  base  of  the  foot- 
hills, behind  this  plateau,  there  is  a  most  beautiful  valley  scooped  out, 
about  two  miles  wide,  which  must  have  been  the  result  of  erosion  in  past 
times,  for  there  is  very  little  water  in  it  at  present. 

Further  southward  those  long  narrow  benches  extend  down  into  the 
prairie  from  the  foot-hills.  As  we  come  from  the  north  to  the  south 
side  of  the  plateau,  we  can  look  across  the  valley  of  Left-hand  Creek 
to  near  Boulder  Valley,  at  least  ten  miles,  dotted  over  with  farm-houses, 
fenced  fields,  and  irrigating  ditches,  upon  one  of  the  most  pleasant 
views  in  the  agricultural  districts  of  Colorado.  These  plateaus  and 
benches  are  underlaid  by  cretaceous  clays,  only  here  and  there  passing 
up  into  the  yellow  sandstones  of  No.  5,  with  Inoceramus  and  Baculites. 
The  plateau  on  the  north  side  of  Left-hand  Creek  comes  to  the  stream 
very  abruptly  and  seems  to  have  presented  a  side  front  to  the  later 
forces  which  transported  the  boulder  drift  from  the  mountains,  the  sides 
being  covered  thickly  Avith  worn  rocks  of  all  sizes.  This  district  is 
very  aptly  called  Boulder  County,  but  the  culmination  of  this  boulder 
drift  is  to  be  seen  in  the  valley  of  Boulder  Creek. 

From.  Left-hand  Creek  to  Golden  City  the  flanks  of  the  mountains 
seem  to  be  formed  of  the  transition  sandstones,  or  cretaceous  No.  1, 
with  all  the  older  sedimentary  rocks  lying  against  the  metamorphic 
rocks  in  such  a  way  as  to  render  them  very  obscure  and  the  scenery 
quite  remarkable. 

Indeed,  south  of  St.  Train  Creek  the  change  in  the  appearance  of  the 
belt  formed  of  the  ridges  or  "hog-backs"  is  very  marked. 

As  I  have  before  stated,  I  believe  that  the  agencies  which  produced 
the  present  configuration  of  the  surface  of  the  country  are  local  and 
came  from  the  direction  of  the  mountains ;  and  I  have  seen  no  evidence 
that  among  the  later  geological  events  there  was  any  drift  agency  uni- 
versal in  its  character  as  that  attributed  to  the  drift  action  in  Canada 
and  the  Atlantic  States.  The  forces  may  have  acted  synchronously 
and  all  over  the  continent  west  of  longitude  100°,  from  the  Arctic  Ocean 
to  the  Isthmus  of  Darien,  but  the  mountain  ranges  were  the  central 
axes  from  which  the  eroding  agencies  proceeded.  The  agency  which 
produced  the  erosion  and  deposited  the  drift  in  the  valley  of  a  stream 
originated  in  the  mountain  range  at  the  source  of  that  stream.  I  shall 
refer  to  this  subject  from  time  to  time,  and  it  is  one  fraught  with  the 


SURVEY    OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO.  29 

deepest  interest  to  the  student  of  geology  in  this  country,  and  one 
around  which  there  is  no  small  degree  of  obscurity.  The  effects  are 
universal,  however,  the  evidences  of  erosion  and  the  worn  drift  mate- 
rials being  found  on  the  summits  of  the  highest  ranges  as  well  as  in  the 
lowest  valleys,  and  each  district  pointing  out  the  source  of  these  eroding 
and  transporting  agencies  in  the  immediate  vicinity. 

Since  leaving  St.  Vrain  Creek,  the  tertiary  beds  containing  the  coal 
have  been  aproaching  nearer  the  mountains.  North  of  this  point  the 
belt  of  cretaceous  rocks  has  been  quite  wide,  varying  from  two  to  five 
miles,  but  in  the  valley  of  the  Boulder  the  belt  becomes  quite  narrow, 
and  forms  a  part  of  the  foot-hills  themselves,  while  Nos.  4  and  5  are 
entirely  concealed  from  view. 

In  the  Boulder  Valley  the  tertiary  coal  beds  are  enormously  developed. 
The  Belmont  or  Marshall's  coal  and  iron  mines,  on  South  Boulder  Creek, 
are  the  most  valuable  and  interesting,  and  reveal  the  largest  development 
of  the  tertiary  coal-bearing  strata  west  of  the  Mississippi. 

In  the  autumn  of  1867  I  had  an  opportunity  of  examining  these  mines, 
under  the  intelligent  guidance  of  J.  M.  Marshall,  esq.,  one  of  the  owners 
of  this  tract  of  land,  and  I  wrote  out  the  results  of  my  examinations  at 
that  time  in  an  article  in  Silliman's  Journal,  March,  1868.  In  July,  1869, 
I  made  a  second  examination  of  this  locality  under  the  same  auspices. 
The  following  vertical  section  of  the  beds  was  taken,  which  does  not 
differ  materially  from  the  one  hitherto  published : 

48.  Drab  clay  with  iron  ore  along  the  top  of  the  ridge. 

47.  Sandstone. 

46.  Drab  clay  and  iron  ore. 

45.  Coal,  (No.  11,)  no  development 

44.  Drab  clay. 

43.  Sandstone,  15  to  20  feet. 

42.  Drab  clay  and  iron  ore. 

41.  Coal,  (No.  10,)  no  development. 

40.  Yellowish  drab  clay,  4  feet. 

39.  Sandstone,  20  feet. 

38.  Drab  clay  full  of  the  finest  quality  of  iron  ore,  15  feet. 

37.  Thin  layer  of  sandstone. 

36.  Coal,  (No.  9,)  nearly  vertical,  where  it  has  been  worked,  12  feet. 

35.  Arenaceous  clay,  2  feet. 

34.  Drab  clay,  3  feet. 

33.  Sandstone,  5  feet;  then  a  heavy  seam  of  iron  ore;  then  3  feet  of 
drab  clay ;  then  5  feet  sandstone. 

32.  Coal,  (No.  8,)  4  feet. 

31.  Drab  clay. 

30.  Sandstone,  25  to  40  feet. 

29.  Drab  clay,  6  feet. 

28.  Coal,  (No.  7,)  6  feet. 

27.  Drab  clay,  5  feet. 

Sandstone  with  a  seam  of  clay,  12^tol8  inches,  intercalated, 


26. 

25. 
24. 

23. 


25  feet. 
Drab  clay,  4  feet. 

Coal,  (No.  6,)  in  two  seams,  4J  feet. 
Drab  clay,  3  to  4  feet. 


22.  Yellowish,  fine-grained  sandstone  in  thin  loose  layers,  with  plants, 
5  to  10  feet. 

21. )  §,  (  Drab  clay,  excellent  iron  ore.  ) 

20.  £  £  I  Coal,  (No.  5,)  7  feet.  £  15  feet. 

19.  Jg  J  Drab  clay.  $  f 


30  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

18.  Sandstone,  dip.  11°.  This  sandstone  has  a  reddish  tinge,  and  is 
less  massive  than  14. 

17.  Drab  clay.      ) 

16.  Coal,  (No.  4.)  >  20  feet,  obscure. 

15.  Drab  clay.       ) 

14.  Sandstone,  massive,  60  feet. 

13.  Drab  clay. 

12.  Sandstone. 

11.  Drab  clay. 

10.  Coal,  (No.  3.) 
9.  Drab  clay. 
8.  Sandstone,  25  feet. 
7.  Drab  clay. 
6.  Coal,  (No.  2,)  8  feet. 
5.  Drab  clay. 

4.  Sandstone,  about  25  feet. 
3.  Drab,  lire  clay,  4  feet. 
2.  Coal,  (No.  I,)*!!  to  14  feet. 
1.  Sandstone. 

In  bed  No.  23  there  are  three  layers  of  sandstone,  which  contain  a 
great  variety  of  impressions  of  leaves.  Below  coal  bed  No.  6  there  is  a 
bed  of  drab  clay,  seven  feet  thick,  with  a  coal  seam  at  the  outcrop,  three 
feet  thick ;  but  the  coal  appears  to  give  out  or  pass  into  clay  as  the  bank 
is  entered,  so  that  there  are  ten  feet  of  clay  above  coal  bed  No.  6. 

Much  of  the  iron  ore  is  full  of  impressions  of  leaves  in  fragments,  stems, 
grass,  &c.  The  ore  is  mostly  concretionary,  but  sometimes  it  is  so 
continuous  as  to  give  the  idea  of  a  permanent  bed.  There  are  several 
varieties  of  the  ore  of  greater  or  less  purity.  Above  coal  bed  (5)  there 
is  a  seam  of  iron,  with  oyster  shells,  apparently  Ostrea  subtrigonalis, 
or  the  same  species  found  so  abundantly  near  Brown  and  O'Bryan's 
coal  mine,  about  twenty  miles  southeast  of  Cheyenne.  Nearly  a  dozen 
openings  have  been  made  here  for  the  coal. 

These  coal  beds  are  the  more  valuable,  and  can  be  more  easily  wrought 
than  any  in  Colorado.  The  great  thickness  of  the  coal  strata  has  been  so 
uplifted,  and  the  surface  worn  away,  that  the  beds  are  all  easily  accessible, 
and  one  can  walk  across  the  upturned  edges  of  from  1,200  to  1,500  feet  in 
thickness  and  then  they  incline  eastward,  and  die  out  in  the  plain.  I  find  it 
somewhat  difficult  to  give  a  satisfactory  reason  why  they  have  not  been 
swept  away  or  concealed  by  debris,  as  they  have  been  in  most  other  locali- 
ties. Leaning  against  the  sides  of  the  mountains  between  South  Boulder 
canon  and  that  of  the  main  Boulder  Creek,  are  immense  walls  of  sandstone, 
possibly  paleozoic  or  the  lower  beds  of  the  trias,  partially  metamorphosed 
by  heat.  These  walls  rise  to  the  height  of  1,500  to  4,000  feet  above  the 
valley,  and  thus  seem  to  have  protected  these  formations  from  the  erosive 
action,  which,  according  to  the  position  that  I  have  taken  in  this  report, 
is  local,  and  must  have  come  directly  from  the  mountains. 

A  beautiful  valley  has  been  scooped  out  by  the  South  Boulder,  leav- 
ing a  bench  covered  with  debris  between  the  two  Boulder  Creeks. 
Eefore  reaching  these  huge  sandstone  walls,  we  pass  over  a  portion  of 
the  cretaceous,  and  a  great  thickness  of  the  red  beds,  inclining  at  a  high 
angle. 

Immediately  south  of  the  South  Boulder  Creek  there  is  a  high  bench 
that  extends  up  close  to  the  base  of  the  mountains,  and  is  covered  with 
drift  and  boulders,  three  miles  in  width,  entirely  concealing  all  the  un- 
changed rocks.  But  in  the  valley  of  Coal  Creek,  seven  beds  of  coal  are 
revealed  by  the  scooping  out  of  this  valley.  These  beds  all  incline  at  a 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO.  31 

high  angle,  about  45°,  and  are  not  easily  worked.  The  sandstones  pro- 
ject up  above  the  loose  material  like  irregular  walls,  and  the  creek  itseli 
forms  a  narrow  passage  or  gorge  through  one  of  these  ridges. 

Between  the  sandstones,  and  apparently  with  very  little  clay  either 
above  or  below,  is  one  bed  of  coal  four  to  six  feet  thick,  which  was 
wrought  for  a  time,  and  then  abandoned. 

It  seeins  to  me  the  coal  here  will  never  be  worked  with  profit.  Above 
the  sandstone  there  is  another  bed  of  coal,  and  above  that,  fire-clay ;  all 
the  strata  conforming  and  inclining  between  35°  and  45°.  The  sand- 
stone ridge  on  the  north  side  of  Coal  Creek  becomes  more  nearly  verti- 
cal— 68°.  All  the  beds  of  coal  are  so  badly  crushed  together  that  they 
are  rendered  somewhat  obscure.  There  are  here  two  or  three  feet  of 
clay  between  the  layers  of  coal,  and  above  the  coal  the  clay  is  very  irreg- 
ular; sometimes  thinning  out  entirely,  so  that  the  sandstone  comes 
directly  upon  it.  A  large  number  of  the  sandstone  ridges  may  be  seen 
far  out  in  the  plains,  east  of  the  mountains,  at  intervals,  all  having  the 
same  general  trend,  and  inclining  at  various  angles.  They  rise  above 
the  grassy  plains  in  isolated  piles,  like  broken-down  walls.  These  sand- 
stones indicate  the  existence  of  coal  beneath,  but  it  would  be  utterly 
impossible  to  work  out  the  sequence  of  these  beds  only  at  the  most 
favorable  exposures.  In  almost  all  cases  the  tertiary  beds  are  so  worn 
down  and  covered  with  superficial  deposits  that  they  are  detected  only 
in  the  channels  of  streams,  or  by  the  sandstones  projecting  above  the 
grassy  surface  of  the  plains. 

July  6.— With  Mr.  Marshall  as  guide,  I  attempted  to  penetrate  through 
the  sandstone  beds  to  the  nietamorphic  rocks  up  Bear  Caiiou,  a  sort 
of  separation  in  the  immense  sandstone  wall  between  the  two  Boulder 
Creeks.  So  far  as  I  could  ascertain  in  this  canon,  the  sedimentary  beds 
lie  fairly  against  the  metamorphic  rocks,  and  the  latter  incline  in  precisely 
the  same  direction,  and  at  about  the  same  angle  as  the  former,  a  little 
north  of  east.  There  is  another  point  that  seems  to  me  to  be  well  shown 
in  the  range;  and  that  is,  that  the  metamorphic  rocks  are  thrown  up  in 
distinct  anticlinals,  the  same  as  the  sedimentary  beds.  As  soon  as  we 
pass  the  junction  of  the  unchanged  and  changed  rocks  we  find  the  granites 
inclining  in  the  same  direction,  and  a  little  further  up  there  is  a  ridge 
inclining  in  the  opposite  direction,  forming  in  the  interval  a  valley. 
The  angle  of  dip  on  the  west  side  of  the  granitic  anticlinal  is  44°,  a  little 
south  of  west.  This  anticlinal  feature  may  be  local  here,  but  I  regard 
it  as  a  common  occurrence  in  the  metamorphic  rocks  of  the  mountain 
ranges. 

Here  tremendous  uplifts  of  the  sandstones  appear  about  4,000  feet 
above  the  Boulder  Valley  in  the  plains  below,  and  their  rugged  summits 
project  far  over  on  the  granitic  rocks  westward,  so  that  along  the  little 
stream  immense  masses  have  fallen  down  from  the  broken  edges,  a  half 
a  mile  above  the  junction  of  the  two  kinds  of  rocks.  I  think  this  illus- 
tration alone  furnishes  sufficient  evidence  that  the  sedimentary  beds  once 
continued  uninterruptedly  across  the  area  now  occupied  by  the  mountain 
ranges,  and  that  these  beds  only  form  a  part  of  what  was  once  a  gigantic 
anticlinal,  the  eastern  portion  of  the  unchanged  beds  remaining,  while 
the  western  portion  has  been  worn  away  and  mingled  with  the  debris 
of  the  plains.  Further  up  toward  the  central  axis  of  the  mountain  we 
pass  ridge  after  ridge  of  granite,  inclining  eastward  about  36°. 

The  process  of  disintegration  of  the  rocks  by  exfoliation  is  here  shown 
quite  clearly,  without  regard  to  stratification.  Immense  masses  of  rock 
are  weathered  into  rounded  forms  by  these  coatings  or  layers  falling  off. 
I  have  observed  that  all  kinds  of  rocks,  granites,  igneous  rocks,  sand- 


32  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

stones,  limestones,  &c.,  have  a  tendency  to  weather  by  this  process  of 
exfoliation,  and  the  hills  and  mountain-peaks  follow  the  same  rule.  It 
would  seem  that  nature  abhors  sharp  angles  and  corners,  and  com- 
mences at  once  to  smooth  and  round  them  off,  so  that  nearly  all  peaks 
and  hills  have  this  rounded  appearance  when  closely  examined.  The 
huge  masses  of  granite  or  basalt  on  the  summits  of  the  highest  moun- 
tains are  now  undergoing  this  process  of  exfoliation. 

The  first  bed  of  granite  that  lies  west  of  the  high  ridge  of  sandstone 
inclines  58°,  and  has  much  the  appearance  of  sandstone  completely  met- 
amorphosed. It  is  of  various  degrees  of  fineness,  but  mostly  an  aggre- 
gate of  coarse  crystals  of  feldspar  and  quartz.  There  is  also  a  bed  of 
mica  schist  inclining  with  it  at  an  angle  of  48°.  I  have  made  use  of 
these  gneissic  beds  to  aid  me  in  forming  a  clearer  idea  of  the  true  strat- 
ification or  bedding  of  the  granite,  which  is  often  obscure. 

The  massive  beds  of  sandstone  which  form  the  high  walls  are  evi- 
dently partially  metamorphosed  by  heat.  The  bottom  beds,  which  lie 
next  to  the  granites,  are  composed  of  a  rather  coarse  aggregate  of 
crystals  of  feldspar  and  quartz,  inclosing  multitudes  of  well  water- 
worn  pebbles  of  all  kinds,  from  a  minute  size  to  several  inches  in  diam- 
eter. There  are  also  fragments  of  unchanged  reddish  sandstone,  but 
the  inclosed  pebbles  are  mostly  metamorphic,  among  which  quartz  peb- 
bles are  conspicuous. 

The  inclination  of  the  first  ridge  is  about  33°.  A  portion  of  it  is  so 
fine  and  compact  that  it  has  somewhat  the  appearance  of  imperfect  jas- 
per. It  varies  much  in  texture.  A  most  interesting  feature  is  the  sep- 
aration of  this  inner  ridge  from  the  one  just  east  of  it.  It  has  evidently 
been  broken  oft*  from  the  summit  of  the  next  one  east  of  it,  and  the 
whole  mass  carried  forward  westward,  yet  retaining  nearly  the  same 
angle  of  inclination.  This  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  granite  rocks 
are  thrust  up  under  and  between  the  ridges,  showing  most  distinctly 
that  this  is  an  immense  fragment  of  the  second  ridge  from  the  inside, 
elevated  upon  the  edges  of  the  granitic  rocks  ahd  carried  two  hundred 
or  three  hundred  feet  to  the  westward.  Yet  the  agency  that  performed 
this  movement  acted  so  quietly  that  it  did  not  disturb  its  position  in  rela- 
tion to  the  other  ridges. 

The  second  or  main  ridge  from  the  inside  varies  in  dip  from  30°  to 
45°.  It  is  largely  composed  of  pudding-stone  or  fine  conglomerate,  with 
layers  of  sandstone  of  various  degrees  of  fineness.  The  upper  beds 
are  composed  of  fine-grained  sandstone.  The  entire  ridge  must  have 
had  a  thickness  of  eight  hundred  to  twelve  hundred  feet. 

The  scenery  along  the  flanks  of  the  mountains  at  this  point  is  won- 
derfully unique,  and  I  have  never  known  a  similar  example  in  the 
Rocky  Mountain  region.  The  uplift  is  on  an  unparalleled  scale. 

Toward  the  outside,  or,  more  properly,  the  upper  layers  of  this  ridge 
become  close-graiiied,  much  of  it  breaking  into  cubical  blocks  and 
forming  a  great  accumulation  of  debris  on  the  sides  of  the  mountains. 
The  outermost  layer  of  this  ridge,  which  has  been  worn  off  so  as  to  be 
a  low  one,  inclines  54°.  All  the  beds  exhibit  less  and  less  the  influence 
of  heat  from  the  inner  to  the  outer  side,  and  much  of  the  upper  part  is 
a  compact,  close-grained  quartzose  sandstone,  divided  into  layers  with 
smooth  surfaces,  and  most  excellent  for  building  purposes. 

The  next  bed  is  a  loose  red  sand,  so  soft  that  the  upturned  edges 
have  been  worn  down  and  completely  grassed  over.  The  upper  edges 
of  this  bed  are  at  least  twelve  hundred  feet  below  the  summit  of  the 
high  sandstone  ridge.  The  dip  is  31°.  At  the  foot  of  the  slope  of  these 
red  beds  is  a  grassy  valley,  and  then  a  very  abrupt  ascent  to  the  edges 


SURVEY    OF    COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO.  33 

of  a  thick  bed  of  yellowish  sandstone.  At  another  locality  a  few  yards 
distant  a  small  stream,  in  cutting  its  way  through  this  ridge,  revealed 
alternate  layers  of  ash-colored  and  yellow  arenaceous  clay,  with  some 
hard  beds  of  sandstone,  inclining  55°.  A  portion  of  these  beds  are 
probably  Jurassic.  We  have  here  an  interv.al  in  the  harder  beds  between 
the  high  sandstone  ridge  and  the  sandstones  of  No.  1,  filled  up  with 
yielding  clays  and  sands,  which  I  estimated  at  from  six  hundred  to 
seven  hundred  feet  in  thickness.  Then  come  the  sandstones  of  No.  1, 
and  the  gray  limestones  and  shales  of  No.  2,  and  the  chalky  marls  of 
No.  3,  which  are  plainly  visible  with  about  the  same  dip.  Although  the 
grass  covers  the  surface  to  such  an  extent  that  the  upper  cretaceous 
beds  are  not  exposed,  yet  it  is  safe  to  suppose  that  the  entire  series  of 
cretaceous  formations,  as  known  along  the  flanks  of  the  mountains, 
exist  here. 

There  is  ample  room,  also,  for  a  great  thickness  of  the  tertiary  beds, 
and  the  evidence  is  quite  clear  that  a  large  portion  of  the  sandstones, 
clays,  and  doubtless  beds  of  coal,  of  the  tertiary  period  exist  in  the 
enormous  plateau  or  table-like  bench  which  extends  down  the  Boulder 
Valley  from  the  foot  of  the  mountains. 

The  amount  of  loose  drift  material  is  enormous,  scattered  not  only 
over  the  surface,  but  concealing  to  a  great  extent  the  underlying  basis 
rocks.  There  is,  therefore,  some  reason  to  believe  that  the  coal  may 
yet  be  found  in  the  valley  under  South  Boulder  Creek  and  between  it 
and  the  foot-hills  of  the  mountains. 

We  find,  therefore,  that  we  have  at  this  locality  a  somewhat  narrow 
belt  of  the  unchanged  rocks,  packed  close  together,  and  inclining  at 
about  the  same  angle,  and  perfectly  conforming  with  each  other,  and 
the  metamorphic  rocks  also.  In  passing  up  the  caiion  of  the  little 
stream  from  the  Boulder  Valley  we  cross  the  visible  edges  of  creta- 
ceous formations  Nos.  3,  2,  and  1,  the  Jurassic  red  beds,  and  the  paleo- 
zoic sandstones,  to  the  metamorphic  rocks.  While  I  believe  that  the  ex- 
tensive series  of  coal  strata  all  perfectly  conform  with  the  older  forma- 
tions, yet  as  we  pass  eastward  from  the  Boulder  Valley  the  dip  becomes 
less  and  less  until  it  ceases  in  the  plains. 

An  important  question  arises  as  to  the  cause  of  the  change  in  the  sedi- 
mentary rocks  of  this  region.  That  the  sandstones  forming  the  huge 
ridges  have  been  partially  metamorphosed  is  clear,  though  the  traces  of 
their  sedimentary  origin  are  as  plain  as  ever. 

The  limestones  of  cretaceous  formation  No.  3  are  more  compact  at 
this  point  than  I  have  ever  observed  them  northward ;  and  the  coal, 
along  a  narrow  belt,  is  far  superior  to  that  which  is  found  farther  east- 
ward in  the  plains.  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  the  area  from  which 
first-class  coal  will  be  obtained  in  Colorado  is  very  restricted,  and  will 
be  comprised  in  a  moderately  narrow  belt  along  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tains south  of  Boulder  Creek  and  north  of  Golden  City. 

These  changes  might  be  attributed,  wholly  or  in  part,  to  the  influences 
of  igneous  action  in  the  vicinity.  In  the  valley  of  the  Boulder,  near 
Valinont,  there  is  a  prominent  dike  of  very  compact  basalt,  which  rises 
up  like  a  wall,  but  does  not  seem  to  have  disturbed  the  tertiary  sand- 
stones in  the  vicinity.  Near  Golden  City,  about  twenty  miles  south- 
ward, close  to  the  base  of  the  mountains,  are  two  large  mesas,  or  table- 
lands, covered  with  a  thick  layer  of  basalt,  which  must  have  passed  up 
from  below  in  the  form  of  a  dike,  and  flowed  over  the  tertiary  rocks. 

These  are  the  only  instances  of  eruptive  rocks  observed  by  me  from. 
near  the  South  Pass  to  the  Arkansas,  a  distance  of  nearly  four  hun- 
dred miles.    In  the  Middle  Park,  just  west  of  Long's  Peak,  and  in  the 
3as 


34  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

South  Park  also,  are  numerous  examples  of  the  outpouring  of  igneous 
material.  That  internal  heat  connected  with  these  igneous  outbursts 
may  have  affected  the  sedimentary  rocks  in  the  Boulder  district,  and 
rendered  the  coal  more  compact  and  anthracitic,  under  pressure,  seems 
to  me  possible,  at  least.  The  rocks  which  appear  to  have  been  affected 
by  heat  are  seen  only  for  a  few  miles  south  of  the  Boulder — from  five 
to  ten  miles.  South  of  that  no  effects  whatever  have  been  observed. 

The  next  finest  exhibition  of  coal  in  Colorado  to  Marshall's  mine  is 
that  of  the  Murphy  mine,  on  Ralston  Creek,  five  miles  north  of  Golden 
City.  The  coal  bed  is  nearly  vertical  in  position,  and  varies  in  thick- 
ness from  fourteen  to  eighteen  feet,  averaging  sixteen  feet  from  side  to 
side.  There  are  nine  feet  of  remarkably  good  fire-clay  on  each  side  of 
the  coal,  and  above  and  below,  or  on  the  west  and  east  sides,  are  the 
usual  beds  of  sandstone.  This  mine  is  very  near  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains, and  the  belt  of  sedimentary  rocks,  which  are  all  nearly  vertical, 
is  very  narrow  here — not  more  than  half  a  mile  in  width — and  are 
mostly  concealed  by  debris. 

Mr.  Murphy  thinks  that  there  are  eleven  beds  of  coal  within  the  dis- 
tance of  one-fourth  of  a  mile,  all  nearly  or  quite  vertical  in  position,  of 
which  the  one  opened  is  probably  the  oldest.  The  mine  is  opened  on 
the  north  side  of  the  creek,  and  may  doubtless  be  followed  above  water 
line  several  miles  to  the  northward,  toward  Coal  Creek. 

On  the  south  side  of  Ralston  Creek  the  same  bed  has  been  opened, 
and  the  indications  are  that  it  may  be  followed  the  same  way  south- 
ward toward  Golden  City.  The  entire  surface  is  so  covered  with  super- 
ficial deposits,  and  grassed  over,  that  it  is  impossible  to  work  out  these 
beds  in  detail,  and  the  artificial  excavations  afford  us  the  most  reliable 
knowledge.  A  hundred  yards  or  more  west  of  the  coal  bed  there  is  a 
high  ridge  running  parallel  with  the  mountain  range,  capped  with  lower 
cretaceous  sandstones  No.  1. 

This  ridge  extends  southward,  with  some  interruptions,  beyond 
Golden  City. 

At  Golden  City  the  upheaved  sedimentary  rocks  are  so  swept  away 
that  the  metamorphic  foot-hills  are  plainly  visible.  No  rocks  older  than 
the  red  beds  or  trias  are  exposed,  and  these  somewhat  obscurely.  The 
red  and  gray  sandstones  lie  close  on  the  sides  of  the  metamorphic  rocks, 
inclining  30°  and  54°.  In  the  trias  there  is  a  bed  of  silica  or  an  aggre- 
gation of  very  fine  grains  of  quartz  which  has  attracted  some  attention, 
and  close  to  it  a  layer  of  bastard  limestone  or  calcareous  sandstone.  All 
the  beds  dip  at  a  high  angle  and  lie  side  by  side,  so  that  one  can  walk 
across  the  upturned  edges  of  them  all,  from  the  metamorphic  to  the 
summit  of  the  tertiary.  Outside  of  the  cretaceous  beds  there  is  a  small 
valley  of  erosion,  and  then  come  the  tertiary  beds.  The  strike  of  the  coal 
strata  is  very  nearly  north  and  south,  and,  so  far  as  I  could  ascertain,  the 
sequence  of  the  beds  from  within,  outward,  is  as  follows : 

1st.  Rusty,  yellow,  soft  sandstone.  2d.  A  bed  of  fire-clay.  3d.  Coal 
about  eight  feet  thick.  4th.  Fire-clay.  5th.  Rusty,  yellow  sandstone. 

The  clay  underneath  the  coal  appears  to  be  ten  or  fifteen  feet  thick, 
with  one  or  two  unimportant  seams  of  coal.  These  beds  have  been  so 
elevated  that  the  upper  edges  have  passed  vertically  5°  to  10°.  The  clay 
is  much  used  for  fire-brick  and  potter's  ware.  In  the  bed  of  sandstone, 
above  the  coal,  we  found  several  impressions  of  leaves  of  deciduous 
tree's,  among  them  a  Platanus,  probably  P.  hay  dent.  From  these  we 
pass  across  the  edges  of  a  series  of  beds  of  sandstone,  with  intervening 
strata  of  iron  ore.  The  thickness  of  all  the  tertiary  beds  here  must  be 
1,200  to  1,500  feet,  Near  the  outside  is  a  bed  of  pudding-stone,  and 


SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND    NEW    MEXICO.  35 

outside  or  above  this,  the  bed  of  potter's  clay,  which  supplies  the  pot- 
tery at  Golden  City.  About  midway  in  this  series  of  beds  an  entrance 
has  been  made  exposing  a  second  bed  of  coal.  The  surface  is  so  grassed 
over  that  it  is  quite  impossible  to  make  out  the  full  series  of  beds 
clearly,  but  the  softer  strata  are  well  shown  by  the  depressions  between 
the  beds  of  sandstones. 

The  north  mesa  is  two  and  one-half  miles  long  and  about  one  mile 
wide.  The  south  one  is  four  miles  long  and  about  a  mile  wide.  This 
one  has  an  irregular  surface  and  gradually  slopes  down  eastward  until 
it  becomes  a  low  ridge  of  tertiary  sandstones  and  clays.  The  wall  of 
basalt  that  surrounds  the  top  is  nearly  perpendicular  most  of  the  way 
round,  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  height.  The  lower  por- 
tion of  the  basaltic  bed  on  the  north  side  of  the  south  mesa  is  very  vesicu- 
lar, full  of  rounded  porous  masses  somewhat  like  slag,  and  rests  upon  the 
slightly  irregular  surface  of  a  bed  of  fiue  fire-clay,  which  contains  traces 
of  vegetable  remains.  Below  the  fire-clay  are  alternate  beds  of  sand- 
stone and  arenaceous  clay,  inclining  slightly  east,  and  evidently  pro- 
tected from  erosion  by  the  hard  cap  of  basalt.  These  beds  are  plainly 
tertiary  lignite,  and  must  be  six  hundred  to  eight  hundred  feet  thick. 
The  lowest  bed  of  vesicular  basalt  is  evidently  more  recent  than  the 
columnar  bed  above. 

Golden  City  is  a  thriving  little  town,  located  near  the  embouchure  of 
Clear  Creek  from  the  mountains,  which  is  called  the  "  Golden  Gate." 
Clear  Creek  Valley  is  very  fertile,  and,  in  looking  down  upon  it  from  the 
top  of  the  mesa,  it  appears  like  a  finely  cultivated  garden.  The  ridges 
of  upheaval  or  "  hog-backs"  near  Golden  City  are  small  and  unimport- 
ant, owing  to  the  erosion  which  has  worn  them  down.  But  proceeding 
southward  a  short  distance  they  increase  in  size.  The  tertiary  ridges 
are  most  conspicuous  until  we  reach  Mount  Vernon,  about  five  miles 
south  of  Golden  City,  where  the  older  formations  are  largely  displayed. 
Here  the  tertiary  beds  are  tipped  past  a  vertical  position  and  seem  to 
incline  toward  the  mountains;  but  this  is  more  apparent  than  real; 
the  top  portion  leaning  over,  while  deeper  in  the  earth  the  strata  incline 
at  a  high  angle  from  the  mountains. 

Green  Mountain  is  a  lofty,  grass-covered  hill,  and  is  entirely  com- 
posed of  the  coal  strata,  while  to  the  west  of  it  is  a  nearly  vertical  ridge 
of  sandstone.  Just  inside  of  this  ridge,  or  beneath  it,  is  a  coal  bed 
which  has  been  opened  by  Mr.  John  A.  Roe.  The  entrance  to  this  mine 
is  the  finest  I  have  seen  in  Colorado,  and  is  170  feet  in  length,  through 
141  feet  of  sandstone  with  a  slope  of  45°.  The  sides  and  roof  of  the 
entrance  are  not  protected.  The  bed  of  coal  is  nearly  vertical  in  position 
at  this  point,  though  at  some  places  where  it  is  not  wrought  it  inclines 
east  70°.  There  are  three  seams  of  coal,  4  feet  each,  in  thickness  with  3  J 
feet  of  clay  intervening.  Below  the  coal  there  is  a  bed  of  clay  5  feet  thick, 
and  above  3  J  feet  aren aceous  clay.  The  coal  is  close,  compact,  and  makes  an 
excellent  fuel,  and  Mr.  Roe,  who  is  an  old  Pennsylvania  miner,  considers  it 
better  than  the  bituminous  coals  for  all  domestic  purposes,  but  for  generat- 
ing  steam  and  smelting  ores  he  regards  it  as  inferior.  The  ash  is 
white,  resembling  pine- wood  ashes,  and  the  quantity  is  small.  The  coal 
at  Murphy's,  on  Ralston  Creek  and  Golden  City,  leaves  a  red  ash.  There 
are  no  cinders,  and  in  burning  it  gives  a  bright,  clear  flame ;  and  although 
it  burns  iron,  it  does  not  give  sufficient  heat  to  weld  it.  I  believe  this 
to  be  a  continuation  southward  of  the  Golden  City  bed.  It  is  also  the 
lowest  of  the  coal  strata  in  this  region,  for  in  the  valley  immediately 
west  and  on  the  sides  of  the  ridge  can  be  seen  the  dark  clays  of  the  cre- 
taceous beds.  This  ridge  is  very  high  at  this  place,  and  is  composed  of 


36  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

the  sandstones  of  No.  1,  and  a  portion  of  the  red  beds  or  triassic  (?). 
Still  further  west  are  two  or  three  rather  low  ridges  of  yellowish-gray 
and  red  sandstones,  which  cover  the  gneissoid  rocks  of  the  foot-hills 
of  the  mountains.  By  far  the  largest  ridge  here  is  the  one  containing 
the  sandstones  of  No.  1,  but  it  soon  splits  up  into  smaller  ridges 
in  its  southern  extension. 

About  four  miles  further  south,  in  the  canon  of  Bear  Creek  and  Tur- 
key Creek,  there  are  fine  exhibitions  of  the  beds  of  upheaval.  The 
chalky  shales  of  No.  3,  with  abundant  specimens  of  Inoceramus  proble- 
maticus  and  Ostrea  conc/esta,form  a  low  rounded  ridge;  then  comes  a  nar- 
row valley  worn  into  the  black  shales  of  No.  2;  and  then  a  high  ridge 
of  massive  sandstone — No.  1 — inclining  30°  to  35°.  On  the  western 
side  of  this  ridge  we  see  the  projecting  edges  of  the  sandstone  capping 
the  ridge,  and  underneath  the  variegated  marls  and  sandstones,  with 
some  of  the  brick-red  beds.  Then  comes  a  series  of  rather  low,  rugged 
ridges ;  first  a  layer  of  sandstone  and  loose  brick-red  sand  with  gyp- 
sum ;  dip  29°.  Second  ridge,  a  light  gray  sandstone  with  a  rusty,  yel- 
lowish tinge ;  dip  34°.  Then  come  three  or  four  small  ridges  of  deeper 
brick-red,  or  almost  purplish  red  sandstone;  dip  29°.  The  intervals  be- 
tween these  ridges  are  composed  of  arenaceous  shale.  Among  the  red 
sandstones  are  two  thin  layers  of  bluish  limestone,  which  is  burned  into 
lime. 

The  foot-hills  of  the  mountains  are  composed  of  gneissoid  rocks.  They 
form  a  wide  belt  or  range  below  the  main  or  Snowy  Kange,  rising  1,500 
to  2,000  feet  above  the  unchanged  rocks.  These  metamorphic  ridges  or 
hills  are  well  grassed  over  in  many  instances,  and  rounded,  and  so  cov- 
ered with  debris  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  see  the  layers  in  position. 

On  the  little  creek  there  is  a  small  mill  for  grinding  the  gypsum  into 
plaster  for  various  economical  purposes,  and  also  for  sawing  the  sand- 
stone into  forms  for  architectural  purposes.  The  gypsum  is  amorphous, 
but  very  white  and  pure,  and  would  make  the  finest  of  casts  and 
moldings.  Some  of  the  layers  are  susceptible  of  a  high  polish  like 
the  California  marbles,  only  they  are  of  a  more  uniform  white  color. 

Up  among  the  foot-hills,  good  crops  are  raised,  especially  all  kinds  of 
garden  vegetables.  As  fine  wheat  as  I  have  ever  seen  was  growing  on. 
Mr.  Morisson's  farm,  at  an  elevation  of  at  least  one  thousand  to  fifteen 
hundred  feet  above  Denver. 

At  Harrirnan's,  on  Turkey  Creek,  is  an  excellent  place  to  observe  the 
junction  of  the  sandstones  and  the  gneissoid  rocks,  and  I  could  not  de- 
termine that  there  was  any  discordance,  the  dip  of  all  being  25°  to  35°. 
The  slopes  of  the  hills,  as  well  as  the  rocks  themselves,  show  the  incli- 
nation very  clearly.  The  metamorphic  rocks  are  distinctly  stratified  as 
any  sandstones,  and  we  find  alternate  beds  of  syenite,  mica  schist,  horn- 
blende slate,  coarse  aggregated  quartz,  feldspar,  and  mica,  regular  gneis- 
soid rocks,  inclining  at  a  high  angle  in  the  same  direction  as  the  sand- 
stones. 

For  a  long  distance  there  is  an  apparent  conformability  of  the  sedi- 
mentary rocks  to  the  metamorphic ;  but  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  it 
is  not  real  or  permanent.  Both  north  and  south  of  this  point  the  two 
classes  of  rocks  do  not  conform. 

Near  the  summit  of  the  sandstone  ridge  No.  1,  on  Turkey  Creek,  there 
is  an  asphaltum  spring,  which  has  been  wrought  for  oil.  A  consider- 
able thickness  of  the  sandstone  seems  to  be  thoroughly  saturated  with 
the  pitch  or  bitumen,  and  between  the  layers  of  the  sandstone  are  ac* 
cumulations  of  the  tar.  This  spring  is  located  on  the  east  side  and  near 
the  summit  of  the  "  hog-back." 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO.  37 

About  twelve  miles  southwest  of  Denver,  between  Turkey  and  Bear 
Creeks,  are  some  remarkable  soda  lakes,  which  are  of  unusual  interest. 
They  are  the  property  of  Dr.  Burclsall,  of  Denver,  in  whose  company  I 
made  as  careful  an  examination  of  them  as  my  time  would  permit.  There 
are  four  of  these  little  lakes,  and  are  all  located  on  middle  cretaceous 
rocks.  The  principal  one  lies  just  east  of  a  low  rounded  ridge  of  creta- 
ceous shale,  No.  3,  and  is  surrounded  on  the  other  sides  by  low  ridges  of 
superficial  sand  and  gravel.  A  little  west  of  this  cretaceous  ridge  there 
is  a  lake,  a  fourth  of  a  mile  in  length,  but  on  account  of  the  springs  flowing 
into  it  from  the  sloping  sides  of  the  sandstone  ridge  No.  1  the  water  is  not 
strong.  The  black  shales  of  No.  2,  cretaceous,  underlie  this  lake.  The 
soil  for  twenty  feet  in  depth  is  fully  impregnated  with  the  soda;  and  on 
the  surface  of  one  of  the  lakes  is  a  crust  which  looks  like  dirty  ice.  A 
shallow  ditch  which  Dr.  Burdsall  has  made  out  into  the  lake  a  few  feet, 
has  a  deposit  of  sulphate  of  soda  at  the  bottom  in  a  partially  crystalline 
state,  one  and  a  half  inches  thick.  Three  and  a  half  barrels  of  the  water 
make  one  barrel  of  the  sulphate  of  soda,  and  three  pounds  of  the  soil,  well 
leached,  makes  one  pound  of  the  salts.  The  salt,  by  analysis,  contains 
sixty-three  per  cent,  of  the  soda,  and  the  water  about  thirty-three  per  cent. 
It  contains  carbonate  of  soda,  sulphate  of  soda,  chloride  of  sodium,  sul- 
phide of  calcium,  and  a  trace  of  magnesia.  It  would  seem  that  these 
deposits  of  soda  must  at  no  distant  period  play  an  important  part  in  the 
industrial  operations  of  Colorado.  These  soda  salts '  can  be  manufac- 
tured into  bicarbonate  of  soda,  can  be  used  in  refining  gold  and  silver, 
also  for  the  manufacture  of  glass  with  silicic  acid.  There  is  an  unlimited 
amount  of  soda  at  this  locality,  and  it  can  be  procured  at  a  mere  nominal 
cost. 

Within  a  few  yards  of  these  lakes,  and  located  in  the  black,  shaly 
clays  of  cretaceous  formation,  No.  2,  are  considerable  quantities  of  brown 
iron  ore  of  superior  quality — as  good  as  the  best  observed  in  the  boulder 
coal  strata.  It  occurs  in  the  form  of  concretions,  and  occupies  a  very 
limited  area. 


CHAPTEE  II. 
FROM    DENVER   TO    COLORADO    CITY. 

The  city  of  Denver  is  located  on  the  tertiary  rocks  which  contain  the 
coal  beds  of  the  west,  about  ten  to  fifteen  miles  from  the  base  of  the 
mountains.  The  surface  is  so  thickly  covered  with  superficial  drift  de- 
posits that  the  basis  rocks  are  seldom  seen;  bat  we  have  every  reason 
to  suppose  that  the  same  beds  of  coal  that  are  exposed  by  the  uplifting 
of  the  formations  along  the  immediate  flanks  of  the  mountains,  extend 
eastward  into  the  plains,  and  of  course  underlie,  at  certain  depths,  the 
city  of  Denver. 

As  we  pass  southward,  up  the  valley  of  the  South  Platte,  we  find  the 
tertiary  sandstones  exposed  occasionally  in  the  banks  of  the  river;  and 
near  the  canon  a  seam  of  coal  has  been  opened  and  worked  to  some 
extent.  The  tertiary  beds  extend  quite  close  up  to  the  foothills  of  the 
mountains,  leaving  a  comparatively  narrow  space  for  the  exhibition  of 
the  older,  unchanged  rocks.  Still,  we  may  walk  across  the  upturned 
edges  of  them  all  and  study  them  with  care. 

The  valley  of  the  South  Platte  presents  a  fine  display  of  the  terraces ; 
and  the  drift,  filled  with  water- worn  rocks,  is  very  thick.  The  sand- 
stones of  the  tertiary  formation  are  also  plainly  seen,  appearing  to  be 


38  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND    NEW   MEXICO. 

nearly  horizontal,  although,  not  more  than  ten  miles  in  a  straight  line 
from  the  metamorphic  rocks.  The  whole  prairie  country  has  been  so 
planed  off  that  it  is  finely  and  gently  rolling,  and  the  drainage  is  excel- 
lent. The  streams  which  flow  from  the  sides  of  the  mountains  are  fed 
by  perpetual  springs,  and  are  consequently  persistent  and  uniform  in 
their  amount  of  water,  affording  the  best  water-power  in  the  country. 

From  the  soda  lakes  to  the  great  "divide"  the  cretaceous  and  tertiary 
beds,  outside  of  the  No.  1  sandstone  ridge,  are  smoothed  down  and 
grassed  over  so  that  they  are  not  conspicuous,  though  there  are  expos- 
ures enough  to  guide  the  geologist.  They  are  so  concealed  by  superfi- 
cial gravel  and  sand  that  they  present  no  good  sections  either  to  show 
the  strata  or  dip.  This  regularity  of  the  surface  renders  the  Platte 
Valley,  as  well  as  those  of  its  branches,  remarkably  fine  for  farming 
and  grazing,  and  vast  herds  of  cattle  already  cover  the  grassy  hills  and 
plains.  The  terraces  and  benches  which  extend  down  from  the  foot  of 
the  mountains  are  well  shown. 

Along  the  Platte  Eiver,  near  the  caiion,  a  coal  bed  was  opened  at  one 
time,  but  now  it  is  covered  with  loose  material  which  has  fallen  from 
above,  so  that  it  is  entirely  concealed.  The  strata  here  are  nearly  ver- 
tical. There  are  two  beds  of  coal,  in  all  about  five  feet  thick,  separated 
by  about  two  feet  of  clay.  The  coal  is  not  very  good,  and  has  not  been 
used  for  three  years.  It  is  probably  the  same  bed  seen  at  Golden  City, 
thinning  out  southward. 

Along  the  Platte  and  Plum  Creeks,  the  streams  cut  heavy  beds  of 
boulder  gravel  and  fine  sand,  and  it  is  under  this  deposit  the  coal  is 
found.  The  valleys  of  the  South  Platte,  and  its  branches,  between  Den- 
ver and  the  mountains,  are  exceedingly  fertile  and  productive,  and  at 
this  time  they  are  covered  with  splendid  crops.  Nearly  or  quite  all  of  the 
available  bottom  lands  are  already  taken  up  by  actual  settlers,  and  are 
under  cultivation.  The  present  season  has  been  unusually  favorable  for 
farming  throughout  the  west. 

The  plain  country  south  of  Denver  comes  close  up  to  the  foot  of  the 
mountains,  so  that  the  belt  of  upheaved  sedimentary  rocks  grows  nar- 
rower and  narrower  until,  a  few  miles  south  of  the  Platte  canon,  they 
cease  entirely  for  a  time.  The  ridges  are  very  high,  ranging  from  four 
hundred  to  six  hundred  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  Platte.  To  the  south- 
west can  be  seen,  rising  like  a  range  of  mountains,  the  high  "divide" 
between  the  waters  of  the  South  Platte  and  Arkansas  Eivers,  covered 
quite  thickly  with  pines. 

The  first  main  ridge  contains  a  few  layers  of  No.  2  j  alternations  of 
clay  and  sand  passing  down  into  the  sandstones  of  No.  1.  This  ridge 
is  quite  massive  and  inclines  43°.  In  the  channel  of  the  South  Platte, 
the  distance  from  the  outside  of  the  ridge  containing  the  sandstones  of 
No.  1  to  the  metamorphic  rocks,  is  not  more  than  half  a  mile.  From 
this  point  to  the  "divide"  the  ridges  are  split  up  and  much  crowded. 
The  reddish  and  variegated  sands  are  worn,  by  atmospheric  agencies,  into 
the  most  wonderful  and  unique  forms,  equal  to  the  "  Garden  of  the 
Gods,"  only  on  a  much  smaller  scale.  Here  also  the  red  and  variegated 
sandstones  jut  up  against  the  metamorphic  rocks  as  if  the  continuity 
was  unbroken.  Indeed,  the  apparent  conformity  is  complete. 

The  hills  of  the  first  range,  composed  of  metamorphic  rocks,  are  curi- 
ously rounded  and  grassed  over,  and  are  made  up  of  a  reddish,  decom- 
posing granite.  But,  as  we  ascend,  these  peaks  or  rounded  cones  become 
Bharper,  the  sides  more  rugged,  and  the  rocks  more  compact. 

As  we  go  southward  the  indications  of  beds  of  Jurassic  age  become 
more  and  more  feeble.  Under  the  massive  sandstones  of  No.  1  are  a 


SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND   NEW   MEXICO.  39 

series  of  yellow  and  white  sands  and  sandstones  passing  down  into 
brick-red  sands.  Among  this  series  of  variegated  beds  are  two  thin 
beds  of  limestone.  One  of  these  is  a  very  white  rock,  and  on  its  weath- 
ered surface  are  small  masses  of  chert,  which  appear  to  have  the  struc- 
ture of  corals.  This  bed  is  six  or  eight  feet  thick.  Separated  by  eight 
or  ten  feet  of  sandstones  is  another  layer  of  bluish  limestone,  which  is 
much  used  for  lime.  I  have  never  been  able  to  detect  any  well-defined 
organic  remains  in  these  beds,  but  I  believe  a  portion  of  them,  between 
the  lower  cretaceous  No.  1  and  the  true  red  beds,  are  of  Jurassic  age; 
and  it  is  even  possible  that  a  portion  of  the  red  beds  are  of  that  epoch. 

From  the  point  where  the  Union  Pacific  railroad  crosses  the  Laramie 
Mountains  to  Colorado  City,  I  have  been  unable  to  find  any  well-marked 
carboniferous  or  silurian  rocks.  The  red  sandstones,  which  I  have  been 
accustomed  to  regard  as  triassic,  jut  up  against  the  metamorphic  rocks, 
or  are  the  only  .exposures  that  meet  the  eye  of  the  geologist.  I  do  not 
believe  that  the  carboniferous  beds  are  altogether  absent,  for  limestones 
of  considerable  thickness,  and  containing  characteristic  fossils,  occur  at 
Granite  Canon,  on  the  Pacific  railroad,  high  up  on  the  margins  of  the 
mountains ;  and  also  at  Colorado  City,  about  two  hundred  miles  to  the 
south.  In  this  long  interval  I  have  been  unable  to  discover  any  well- 
defined  carboniferous  or  silurian  rocks,  yet  I  am  inclined  to  think  that 
the  carboniferous  beds,  at  least,  exist  underneath  all  the  other  sedimen- 
tary rocks,  but  are  not  exposed  by  the  upheaval. 

About  five  miles  south  of  the  Platte  Canon  the  upheaved  ridges  come 
close  up  to  the  mountains,  and  are  not  worn  away,  but  form  the  north- 
ern side  of  the  divide,  so  that  the  entire  series  of  unchanged  rocks  known 
in  this  region  are  exposed  in  regular  continuity.  A  little  further  south 
we  come  to  a  series  of  variegated  beds  of  sands  and  arenaceous  clays, 
nearly  horizontal,  resting  on  the  upturned  edges  of  the  older  rocks. 
These  beds  form  the  northern  edge  of  an  extensive  tertiary  basin  of  com- 
paratively modern  date,  either  late  miocene  or  pliocene  age.  From  the 
point  of  their  first  appearance,  about  five  miles  south  of  the  South  Platte 
Canon  to  a  point  about  five  miles  north  of  Colorado  City,  these  beds  jut 
up  against  the  foot-hills  of  the  mountains,  inclining  at  a  small  angle, 
never  more  than  five  to  eight  degrees,  and  entirely  concealing  all  the 
older  sedimentary  rocks.  The  upheaved  ridge  entirely  disappears.  Far 
off  to  the  eastward  stretches  this  high  tertiary  divide,  giving  rise  to  a  large 
number  of  streams,  as  Cherry  Creek,  Banning  Water,  Kiowa,  Bijou,  and 
other  creeks.  Through  this  basin  also  flows  Monument  Creek,  which 
has  become  so  celebrated  for  its  unique  scenery.  The  beds  of  this  forma- 
tion are  of  various  colors — reddish,  yellow,  and  white — and  of  various 
degrees  of  texture,  from  coarse  pudding-stones  to  very  fine-grained 
sands  or  sandstones.  There  is  very  little  lime  in  the  entire  series  of 
beds.  There  is  much  ferruginous  matter  in  all  the  beds,  to  some  of 
which  it  gives  a,  rusty  brown  color.  The  valley  of  Plum  Creek  is  scooped 
out  of  this  basin.  The  high  ridge  to  the  eastward  is  capped  with  coarse 
sandstones  and  pudding-stones.  Along  the  immediate  sides  of  the 
mountains  the  rocks  are  mostly  coarse  pudding-stones,  the  water-worn 
pebbles  varying  in  size  from  a  grain  of  quartz  to  a  mass  several  inches 
in  diameter.  But  as  we  recede  from  the  mountains,  eastward,  the  sedi- 
ments become  finer  and  finer  until  the  coarse  pudding-stones  disappear. 
I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  materials  composing  the  beds  of  this  group 
have  been  derived  from  the  mountain  ranges  and  vicinity.  In  their 
general  appearance  the  rocks  of  this  group  resemble  the  prevailing  rocks 
which  cover  the  country  from  Fort  Bridger  to  Weber  Canon,  and  also 
a  series  of  sands  and  sandstones  along  the  Gallisteo  Creek  below  Santa 


40  SURVEY    OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO. 

Fe\  which  I  shall  call  the  Gallisteo  sand  group.  To  this  group  of 
modern  tertiary  deposits  I  have  given  the  provisional  name  of  the 
Monument  Creek  group,  and  they  occupy  a  space  of  about  forty  miles 
in  width  from  east  to  west,  and  fifty  miles  in  length  north  and  south. 

Continuing  our  course  southward,  we  find  some  curious  mesas  in  the 
valley  of  West  Plum  Creek.  We  ascended  one  lofty  butte,  with  a  flat 
table  summit,  situated  west  of  the  Plum  Creek  road.  The  top  of  this  butte 
is  about  one  thousand  feet  above  the  road,  and  is  capped  with  a  rather 
close-grained,  cream-colored  rock,  which  looks  quite  porphyritic,  fifty  to 
one  hundred  feet  thick,  and  plainly  of  igneous  origin.  It  fractures 
into  slabs  which  have  a  clinking  sound.  The  beds  below  are  quite 
variegated,  of  almost  every  color  and  texture,  mostly  fine  sand,  brick 
red,  deep  yellow,  rusty  red,  white-ash  colored,  dull  black,  &c.  The  rusty 
iron  layers  sometimes  form  a  sort  of  liinonite,  but  are  composed  largely 
oi  an  aggregate  of  water-worn  pebbles  cemented  with  the  silicate  of 
iron.  There  are  also  thick  beds  of  quartzose  sandstone,  or  an  aggregate 
of  crystals  of  quartz  and  feldspar,  so  compact  as  to  look  like  a  coarse 
granite.  These  large  masses  afford  good  illustrations  of  the  process  of 
weathering  by  exfoliation. 

The  evidence  is  clear  in  a  number  of  localities  that  at  a  late  period  in 
geological  history  there  were  dikes  or  protrusions  of  igneous  material 
which  flowed  over  these  Monument  Creek  sandstones  in  broad  sheets 
or  beds;  and  these  broad,  table-top  buttes  and  mesas  are  the  evidences 
that  are  now  left  after  erosion. 

This  modern  tertiary  basin  is  very  interesting  as  the  introduction  of 
a  new  feature  in  the  geology  of  this  region.  The  appearance  of  the 
country  also  undergoes  a  decided  improvement.  The  great  divide  is 
covered  rather  thickly  with  pine  timber.  It  is  full  of  excellent  springs 
and  fertile  valleys  which  give  origin  to  numerous  streams.  The  grass 
is  excellent  and  abundant,  even  upon  the  summits  of  the  table  lands. 
For  a  distance  of  ten  miles  about  the  sources  of  Plum  Creek  the  red 
beds  or  triassic  jut  square  against  the  sides  of  the  metamorphic  foot- 
hills of  the  mountains.  The  projecting  summits  of  the  upturned  ridges 
gradually  fade  out  in  importance.  They  have  also  lost  their  usual  regu- 
larity, and  are  split  up  into  an  indefinite  number  of  fragments  of  ridges, 
varying  in  dip  from  ten  to  forty-five  degrees.  Near  the  water  divide 
these  ridges  gradually  close  up  again  toward  the  foot  of  the  mountains 
and  are  entirely  concealed  by  the  sands  and  arenaceous  clays  of  the 
Monument  Creek  group. 

la  the  valley  of  West  Plum  Creek  and  its  branches,  as  they  emerge 
from  the  mountains,  we  have  a  fine  exposure  of  the  sedimentary  beds. 
The  coarse,  yellowish-gray  sandstones  and  pudding-stones  of  the  Monu- 
ment Creek  group  incline  slightly,  perhaps  three  to  five  degrees.  Then 
come  the  sandstones  of  the  lignite  tertiary,  inclining  twenty-five  degrees. 
Then  west  of  West  Plum  Creek  are  some  ridges  of  cretaceous  rocks. 
The  first  ridge  is  made  up  of  a  rather  impure  limestone,  filled  with  well- 
defined  species  of  Inoceramus  and  other  shells,  of  No.  3  or  middle  creta- 
ceous. The  next  ridge  west  is  composed  of  No.  1,  and  the  intermediate 
valley  is  underlaid  with  the  shales  of  No.  2.  Among  the  brick-red 
ridges  is  one  low  ridge  composed  almost  entirely  of  gypsum — an  unusual 
development  of  this  material — to  the  thickness  of  thirty  or  forty  feet. 

There  is  an  extensive  series  of  low  ridges  of  red  and  gray  sandstones 
extending  up  the  base  of  the  mountains. 

The  high  portion  of  country,  which  is  plainly  visible  from  Denver  when 
looking  southward,  and  from  the  Arkansas  Eiver  looking  northward, 
would  seem  to  have  been  protected  from  erosion  by  causes  which  Lean- 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO.  41 

not  yet  well  explain.  The  water  divide  is  the  long  bench  which  extends 
down  from  the  very  base  of  the  mountains  eastward,  and  forms  the  line 
of  separation  between  the  sources  of  the  streams  which  flow  southward 
into  the  Arkansas  on  the  one  side  and  into  the  South  Platte  on  the  other. 
This  water  divide  is  well  worthy  of  especial  notice,  inasmuch  as  it  is 
composed  of  the  Monument  Creek  formation,  and  juts  up  against  the 
almost  vertical  nietamorphic  rocks,  retaining  its  nearly  horizontal  posi- 
tion, and  perfectly  concealing  all  the  older  rocks  for  at  least  five  miles 
north  of  the  line  of  separation. 

The  valleys  of  Plum  Creek  and  of  its  branches  are  quite  wide,  and 
are  scooped  out  of  the  modern  deposits  so  as  to  form  a  most  beautiful 
and  fertile  lands,  while  on  each  side  a  bench  extends  down  from  the 
mountains  like  a  lawn.  The  series  of  older  rocks  are  exposed  by  the 
stripping  off  of  the  newer  tertiaries  in  the  valley  of  Plum  Creek.  The 
bench  on  the  north  side  conceals  them,  for  the  most  part,  close  up  to  the 
foot  of  the  mountains,  while  on  the  south  side  they  are  entirely  concealed 
until  they  reappear  near  Colorado  City. 

The  divide  forms  a  high  ridge  with  a  mesa-like  top,  stretching  far  east- 
ward beyond  the  horizon,  covered  with  pines.  On  each  side  the  beds  of 
whitish-yellow  and  reddish  sandstones  appear  like  fortifications,  holding 
a  nearly  horizontal  position.  Near  the  foot-hills  there  is  a  narrow  val- 
ley, perhaps  one-fourth  of  a  mile  wide,  and  lying  against  the  sides  of  the 
mountains  are  remnants  left  after  the  erosion.  I  at  Arst  mistook  them  for 
the  red  triassic  beds,  but  on  a  close  examination  I  found  them  to  be  a  coarse 
aggregate  of  feldspar  and  quartz,  colored  extensively  with  iron.  There 
are  inclosed  in  the  rock  various  water-worn  pebbles  of  all  sizes  and 
textures.  This  rock  decomposes  readily,  especially  by  the  process  of 
exfoliation.  The  whole  rock  is  so  massive  and  compact  that  it  might 
easily  be  mistaken  for  a  metamorphic  sandstone. 

Just  south  of  the  first  branch  of  Monument  Creek  there  is  a  fine  ex- 
hibition of  the  erosion  of  the  sandstones.  At  one  locality  they  lie  snug 
up  against  gneissoid  rocks,  showing  the  discordant  relations  perfectly. 
These  illustrations  seem  to  show  plainly  that  the  sediments  of  this  recent 
tertiary  deposit  have  all  been  derived  from  the  disintegration  or  erosion 
of  the  metamorphic  rocks  and  perhaps  the  older  sedimentary  beds  in  the 
immediate  vicinity. 

In  a  beautiful  little  basin  near  Monument  Creek,  which  leads  to  the 
creek,  is  a  lone  pillar  or  column  of  sandstone,  three-cornered,  with  the 
strata  perfectly  horizontal,  about  thirty  feet  high.  The  sands  compos- 
ing this  are  coarse  and  of  a  yellowish  or  whitish  color.  It  has  been  for 
a  long  time  a  favorite  object  for  the  photographer. 

At  one  point  on  Monument  Creek  the  red  granites,  high  up  on  the 
mountain  side,  show  the  perpendicular  lines  of  cleavage  in  a  marked 
manner.  Some  of  the  openings  are  several  feet  wide.  The  strike  of 
these  lines  of  cleavage  is  about  southwest  and  northeast. 

For  a  considerable  distance,  some  ten  or  fifteen  miles,  along  the  imme- 
diate base  of  the  mountains,  on  the  west  side  of  Monument  Creek,  the 
long,  smooth,  grassy  benches  slope  down  toward  the  creek,  sliced  as  it 
were  or  cut  by  the  numerous  little  branches.  These  lawn-like  slopes  or 
benches  vary  in  height.  Sometimes  on  the  side  of  a  little  branch,  where 
the  valley  is  deep,  there  is  an  intermediate  terrace  or  step  to  the  higher 
ridge. 

All  these  valleys  seem  to  be  occupied  by  farmers  and  stock-raisers. 
Almost  every  available  spot  is  taken  up  by  actual  settlers. 

The  first  range  of  mountains  on  the  east  side,  from  the  divide  to  a 
point  near  Colorado  City,  appears  to  me  to  present  a  fine  illustration  of 


42 


SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND    NEW    MEXICO. 


what  I  have  called  an  abrupt  anticlinal ;  that  is,  only  the  abrupt  side  of 
the  western  slope  appears  here.  The  eastern  side  has  either  been  worn 
away  or  was  never  elevated  to  a  great  height,  and  is  now  concealed 
by  the  recent  deposits.  The  summit  of  the  metamorphic  ridge  projects 
far  over  the  base  of  the  mountains,  and  the  western  side  of  the  monocli- 
nal  shows  a  gentle  slope.  That  this  eastern  portion  of  the  metamorphic 
anticlinal  may  have  been  elevated  and  then  fell  back,  or  may  not  have 
been  elevated  at  all  and  still  exists  beneath,  is  shown  from  the  fact  that 
the  sedimentary  ridges  or  " hog-backs"  gradually  diminish  in  dip  to  the 
point  of  concealment. 

The  little  streams  which  flow  into  Monument  Creek,  as  well  as  the 
creek  itself,  cut  through  a  coarse  material  of  various  colors  with  irregu- 
lar layers  of  deposition.  Sometimes  a  layer  is  hardened  into  a  coarse 
sandstone,  and  then  comes  a  thin  layer  of  ironstone  or  impure  limonite, 
but  the  whole  is  a  quartzose  material  and  rather  coarse.  There  are  now 
and  then  thin  seams  of  fine  sand  or  clay.  Near  the  stage  station  there 
is  a  bluff  of  rather  massive  whitish  sandstone,  with  some  thin  beds  of 
clay  at  intervals.  There  is  much  iron  in  these  rocks,  and  this  aggregates 
in  the  form  of  a  rusty  layer,  quite  hard.  The  light-colored  sandstones 
below  are  weathered  into  most  singular  columnar  or  monument-like 
forms,  with  this  layer  of  rusty  sandstone  as  a  cap  protecting  the  summits. 
Tnere  are  some  dark  bands  of  arenaceous  clay,  and  in  the  sandstone  a 
few  rounded  concretions. 

About  six  miles  north  of  Colorado  City  the  upheaved  ridges  or  "hog- 
backs" reappear  from  beneath  the  quartzose  sandstones  of  the  Monu- 
ment Creek  group.  The  white  massive  sandstones  of  the  lower  creta- 
ceous lie  high  on  the  mountain  side.  The  first  ridge  that  we  pass  through 
along  the  road  is  a  whitish  brown,  rather  yielding  sandstone,  with  rusty 
yellow  portions,  with  very  irregular  laminae  of  deposition.  The  strike 
is  southwest  and  northeast,  and  the  dip  32°.  This  is  a  bed  of  the  lig- 
nite tertiary. 

High  up  on  the  sides  of  the  mountains,  for  ten  miles  or  more  about 
the  Soda  Springs,  there  is  a  great  thickness  of  red  porphyritic  granite, 
inclining  from  the  mountains  in  well-defined  ridges,  like  sandstone. 
From  their  very  deep  rusty  red  color,  I  regarded  them  as  sandstones 
until  I  made  a  close  examination  of  them.  They  have  a  well-marked  dip 
of  forty-five  to  fifty  degrees,  somewhat  less  than  the  massive  granite 
rocks  which  form  the  nucleus.  All  these  ridges  rise  like  steps  toward  the 
range  of  which  Pike's  Peak  forms  a  part,  with  the  sloping  sidv*;S  toward 
the  northeast  and  the  summits  leaning  over  toward  the  axis  of  elevation. 

These  very  red  granitoid  rocks  have  formed  a  very  conspicuous  fea- 
ture on  the  eastern  side  of  the  mountains  for  thirty  miles  or  more  north 
of  Colorado  City ;  and,  as  they  readily  decompose,  the  hills  and  roads 
are  paved  with  the  crystals  of  feldspar  and  quartz.  The  constituent 
which  predominates  is  feldspar,  which  gives  the  red  color.  This  rock  is 
composed  of  a  coarse  aggregate  of  quartz  and  feldspar  with  a  little  black 
mica,  and  now  and  then  a  little  pencil-like  crystal  of  hornblende.  The 
rock  itself  does  not  seem  to  be  so  red,  but  the  debris  has  a  dull  rusty - 
red  color  in  the  distance.  Upon  the  summits  of  the  mountains  about 
Pike's  Peak  are  columns  of  massive  granite — immense  rounded  masses, 
standing  one  upon  the  other,  giving  a  most  picturesque  appearance  to 
the  scenes,  and  affording  fine  illustrations  of  the  style  of  weathering. 

The  unchanged  rocks  are  here  seen  resting  directly  upon  these  dull 
reddish  granites.  The  lower  beds  are  composed  of  a  more  or  less  fine- 
grained sandstone,  with  some  small  pebbles,  variegated  in  color,  passing 
up  into  rocks  of  a  semi-crystalline  texture.  Most  of  the  rocks  appear  as 


SURVEY   OP   COLORADO    AND   NEW  MEXICO.  43 

if  they  had  been  partially  changed  by  heat.  There  is  every  variety  of 
texture,  mostly  silicious,  but  some  layers  appear  to  be  an  impure  lime- 
stone. 

For  a  space  of  about  ten  miles  from  north  to  south,  and  an  average 
width  of  five  miles  from  east  to  west,  about  Colorado  City,  all  the 
unchanged  rocks  are  displayed  in  a  unique  and  remarkably  clear  man- 
ner. The  ridges  of  upheaval  are  spread  out  over  an  unusually  wide 
space.  Here  every  formation  known  in  this  region  is  distinctly  revealed 
to  the  scrutiny  of  the  geologist. 

Beginning  in  the  plain  country  we  have  the  sands  and  sandstones 
of  the  Monument  Creek  group  in  a  perfectly  horizontal  position,  and 
separated  from  the  older  rocks  by  a  valley  about  half  a  mile  wide.  It  is 
through  this  valley,  which  runs  neaily  north  and  south,  that  the  road 
passes.  The  Monument  Creek  group  is  seen  on  the  east  in  the  form  of 
a  rounded  grassy  range  of  hills  j  while  on  the  west  side  the  cretaceous 
formations  are  exposed  in  the  form  of  upheaved  ridges.  I  have  no 
doubt  but  that  this  intervening  valley  is  underlaid  by  lignite  tertiary 
beds,  for  as  we  enter  it  from  Monument  Creek  valley  we  have  an  expo- 
sure of  the  sandstones  of  this  group  for  a  little  distance,  revealed  by  the 
stripping  off  of  the  Monument  Creek  sands  by  erosion.  They  very  soon 
pass  beneath  the  more  recent  deposits.  On  the  west  side  of  the  road, 
near  Camp  Creek,  which  flows  through  what  is  called  the  second  "  Gar- 
den of  the  Gods,"  we  find  the  chalky  shales  of  No.  3  with  Inoceramus  and 
Ostrea  congesta  in  great  abundance.  All  the  cretaceous  rocks,  including 
the  massive  sandstones  of  No.  1,  are  finely  displayed  in  this  region,  and 
No.  1  forms  a  most  picturesque  and  nearly  vertical  wall  for  six  to  ten 
miles,  as  it  were  inclosing  the  "  Garden  of  the  Gods."  There  is  one 
peculiar  feature  presented  by  these  nearly  perpendicular  walls  of  sand- 
stone, and  that  is,  two  quite  distinct  lines  of  cleavage,  but  not  quite  as 
regular  or  as  well  defined  as  in  the  gneissoid  rocks  of  the  mining  regions. 
These  lines  cross  each  other,  one  set  with  a  direction  northwest  and 
southeast,  and  the  other  southwest  and  northeast. 

The  rocks  included  in  this  wall-like  ridge  are  layers  of  fine  black  shale, 
fine  sandstone  with  bits  of  vegetable  matter,  and  a  thin  seam  of  earthy  lig- 
nite. Then  come  beds  of  whitish  sandstones,  with  thin  layers  of  limestone 
made  up  of  indistinct  fragments  of  fossil  shells,  with  bed  of  snowy 
gypsum ;  then  a  series  of  whitish,  yellow,  and  brick-red  sandstones,  with 
intervals  ofioose,  laminated  sands,  which  form  a  kind  of  grassy  valleys* 
In  passing  up  the  Fountain  Creek  valley  we  cross  the  upheaved  edges 
of  twenty  or  thirty  of  these  fragmentary  ridges,  all  inclining  at  various 
angles,  from  ten  degrees  to  sixty  degrees.  It  is  to  the  peculiar  weath- 
ering of  these  variegated  upturned  ridges  of  sandstone  -that  the  wonder- 
fully unique  scenery  of  the  "Garden  of  the  Gods"'  is  due.  In  some 
localities  some  of  these  beds  seem  to  pass  over  beyond  vertically  3° 
to  5°.  The  composition  of  these  sandstones  is  mostly  fine  sand,  but 
often  it  is  an  aggregate  of  minute  particles  of  quartz,  with  some  small, 
rounded  pebbles.  All  the  beds  exhibit  the  indications  of  ripple 
marks,  irregular  lines  of  deposition,  and  in  most,  the  water -worn  pebbles 
are  small,  but  sometimes  they  are  from  six  to  ten  inches  in  diameter. 
The  upper  portions  of  the  variegated  beds  are  a  light  brick  red,  with 
spots  and  irregular  layers  of  whitish  sandstone. 

As  we  pass  to  older  beds  this  red  color  deepens  until  it  becomes  a  dull 
purple  hue.  There  are  in  all  these  sandstones  a  great  many  irregular 
seams  of  gypsum.  Everywhere  among  these  curious  projecting  ridges 
of  sandstone  are  beautiful  grassy  intervals.  To  show  the  irregularity 
of  the  dip  of  these  rocks,  the  ridges  that  give  the  most  marked  features 


44  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO. 

to  the  picturesque  scenery  incline  eighty  to  eighty-five  degrees,  and  then 
immediately  west  are  several  low  ridges  dipping  fifteen  to  twenty  degrees. 

There  is  a  somewhat  extensive  cave  in  the  north  portion  of  the  sand- 
stone ridge  that  forms  the  entrance  to  the  "Garden  of  the  Gods."  It  is 
caused  by  the  washing  away  of  a  soft  layer,  about  three  feet  thick,  by  a 
little  stream  of  water  that  trickles  down  from  the  summit  of  the  ridge. 
These  vertical  ridges  of  red  sandstone  rise  above  the  surface  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet.  Just  east  of  the  entrance  or  gate,  about  fifty  yards, 
is  a  wall  of  white  sandstone,  with  seams  of  impure,  gritty  gypsum  run- 
ning through  it  in  every  direction,  forming  a  kind  of  net- work.  The 
strike  of  these  ridges  is  nearly  north  and  south. 

At  Crater's  Falls,  above  the  soda  springs  on  Fountain  Creek,  there 
is  a  remarkable  canon,  in  which  the  unchanged  sedimentary  rocks  are 
seen  to  rest  directly  on  the  red  porphyritic  granites.  At  no  point  along 
the  eastern  base  of  the  mountains,  from  Laramie  Peak  southward,  have 
1  seen  the  two  classes  of  rocks  so  fairly  in  apposition.  The  metamorphic 
rocks  beneath  are  quite  massive — a  deep  rusty  red;  an  aggregate  of  crys- 
tals of  feldspar  and  quartz,  with  some  black  mica.  The  cleavage  lines 
a*e  shown  with  great  distinctness,  but  the  lines  of  stratification  in  the 
two  kinds  of  rocks  do  not  precisely  correspond.  I  think  that  the  strata 
of  both  groups  incline  in  the  same  direction,  but  the  granites  seem  to  be 
more  steeply  inclined.  As  I  have  before  remarked,  there  seems  to  be  a 
conformity  in  very  many  localities,  and  sometimes  extending  over  large 
districts,  between  the  unchanged  and  changed  rocks,  but  I  am  inclined 
to  regard  this  conformity  as  more  apparent  than  real. 

The  rock  which  rests  directly  upon  the  granites  at  this  locality  is  a 
sandstone,  totally  unchanged,  as  if  it  had  been  deposited  on  them  in  cool 
and  rather  quiet  waters.  It  is  composed  of  minute  crystals  of  quartz, 
considerably  rounded  by  attrition,  and  cemented  with  silicate  of  iron. 
This  sandstone  is  quite  massive,  with  streaks  or  seams  of  small  pebbles. 
We  have  them  resting  upon  the  granites,  then  alternate  layers  of  light 
gray,  and  rusty  reddish  sandstone — forty  feet;  then  a  very  deep  dull 
purplish  sandstone  with  dark  spots — two  hundred  feet.  Above  this  a 
thinly  laminated  yellowish- white  limestone,  of  various  degrees  of  fineness, 
with  vast  quantities  of  crinoidal  remains,  some  corals,  small  univalves 
&c.  This  limestone  must  be  from  three  hundred  to  four  hundred  feet 
thick.  The  dip  of  the  rocks  is  distinct,  as  the  little  streams  have  cut 
the  most  perfect  sections.  Sometimes  masses  of  these  rocks  are  lifted 
high  on  the  summits  of  the  mountains,  in  an  almost  horizontal  position, 
then  again  they  dip  ten,  twenty,  or  thirty  degrees  in  different  directions. 

A  few  hundred  yards  to  the  northeast  of  the  Crater  Falls,  on  Foun- 
tain Creek,  there  is  a  little  branch  which  flows  down  from  the  mountains, 
and  has  cut  out  of  the  rocks  a  most  remarkable  caiion.  The  limestones 
and  sandstones  are  here  shown  most  perfectly  in  the  vertical  walls,  for  a 
mile  or  more  resting  on  the  granites  below,  and  inclining  not  more  than 
50  to  IQo. 

About  four  miles  northwest  of  Colorado  City  is  what  is  called  the 
second  "Garden  of  the  Gods,"  through  which  flows  Camp  Creek.  The 
area  is  much  smaller  than  that  of  the  first  Garden  of  the  Gods,  but  the 
scenery  is  even  more  remarkable.  The  entrance  is  through  a  kind  of 
gateway,  cut  by  the  creek  at  right  angles  to  the  ridge  of  lower  creta- 
ceous sandstone  No.  1.  This  ridge  forms  high  walls,  with  a  dip  to 
the  east  of  55°  to  60°.  Then  comes,  inside  of  this  wall,  a  narrow  belt 
of  what  must  be  Jurassic  limestone,  some  portions  being  of  a  bluish  color 
and  brittle,  filled  with  indistinct  animal  remains.  Then  comes  the  gyp- 
siferous  sandstone,  with  a  bed  of  snowy  gypsum,  gradually  passing  into 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO    AND   NEW   MEXICO.  45 

light  brick-red,  and  deep,  dull,  purplish  sandstones.  Here  again  the 
sandstones  are  worn  into  wonderful  shapes — columns,  peaks,  &c.  All  the 
sedimentary  rocks  are  reduced  to  a  narrow  belt,  and  the  ridges  are 
crowded  together  into  a  space  of  hardly  a  mile  in  width,  and  on  the  foot- 
hills of  the  mountains  are  the  deep,  dull,  red  sandstones  and  limestones 
of  the  carboniferous  resting  upon  the  red  granites.  The  walls  of  the 
Camp  Creek  canon  show  all  the  carboniferous  beds  in  their  relation  with 
the  granites  most  perfectly.  Upon  the  weathered  surface  of  the  reddish 
limestones  I  found  a  number  of  specimens  of  brachiopodous  shells. 

A  short  distance  north  of  this  canon,  the  Jurassic  and  carboniferous 
beds  are  seen  in  a  nearly  vertical  position,  and  lying  in  perfect  apposi- 
tion, showing  complete  continuity.  It  is  therefore  my  opinion  that  there 
is  no  discordancy  in  the  unchanged  beds,  from  the  granites  up  to  the 
Monument  Creek  group.  The  latter  never  conform  to  the  beds  below, 
while  I  am  inclined  to  regard  all  the  instances  of  apparent  conformity 
of  the  sedimentary  rocks  with  the  metamorphic  as  not  real  but  accidental. 

As  the  ridges  emerge  from  beneath  the  Monument  Creek  group  at  the 
north  end  of  the  second  Garden  of  the  Gods,  the  trend  is  a  little  east  of 
south,  and  they  finally  bend  around  so  that  they  jut  up  against  the 
base  of  the  mountains  a  little  way  south  of  Colorado  City,  with  a  trend 
nearly  east  and  west. 

About  five  miles  east  of  the  base  of  the  mountains,  and  four  miles 
northeast  of  Colorado  City,  Mr.  Gehrung  has  a  land  claim  where  a  coal 
bed  crops  out  of  the  bank  of  a  creek.  Above  the  coal  is  about  eight  or 
ten  feet  of  clay,  and  below  there  is  also  a  bed  of  clay,  and  the  coal 
above  and  below  gradually  passes  into  the  clay.  This  clay  is  filled 
with  fragments  of  vegetable  matter,  some  seeds  and  plants.  The  clay 
passes  up  into  fine  sand.  In  the  distant  hills,  the  beds  of  whitish  mas- 
sive sandstones  are  weathered  into  fortification -like  bluffs.  The  coal  is 
very  light,  varies  much  in  thickness,  from  a  few  inches  to  five  or  six  feet, 
and  seems  to  be  a  sort  of  jet.  There  are  several  other  localities  where 
the  carbonaceous  clay  crops  out  in  the  valleys  of  the  little  branches,  and 
it  occurs  in  the  Monument  Creek  group,  and  therefore  must  be  of  very 
modern  date.  There  are  also,  in  the  clays  above  and  below  the  coal,  con- 
siderable quantities  of  impure  brown  iron  ore. 

Perhaps  the  feature  of  the  greatest  general  interest  in  this  region  is 
the  Soda  Springs,  which  are  located  about  three  miles  above  Colorado 
City,  in  the  valley  of  Fountain  Creek.  The  water  issues  from  the  ground 
very  near  the  junction  of  the  sedimentary  and  metamorphic  rocks,  close 
by  the  base  of  Pike's  Peak.  The  scenery  around  them  is  grand  beyond 
any  that  I  have  ever  seen  in  the  vicinity  of  any  other  medicinal  springs. 

There  are  four  of  them.  The  first  one  is  close  to  the  road  and  within  fifty 
feet  of  the  creek,  and  perhaps  at  this  time  ten  or  fifteen  feet  above  its 
bed.  The  violent  bubbling  up  of  the  water  would  indicate  the  issue  of 
a  large  supply,  but  there  can  hardly  be  a  gallon  a  minute.  For  a 
distance  of  sixty  feet  or  more  around  the  spring  there  is  a  deposit  or 
incrustation  in  thin  layers.  Its  thickness  I  could  not  determine, 
though  it  is  probably  not  more  than  six  or  eight  feet.  About  twenty- 
five  feet  west  of  the  present  opening  there  is  another  which  formerly 
gave  exit  to  the  water.  It  is  about  five  inches  in  diameter.  The  sediments 
deposited  around  these  springs  seem -to  be  filled  up  with  foreign  mat- 
ter, introduced  during  deposition.  Portions  of  the  deposit  are  very 
hard  and  filled  with  small  cavities,  lined  with  a  whitish,  partially  crys- 
talline material,  probably  carbonate  of  lime  or  gypsum. 

About  one  hundred  yards  above  the  first  spring  is  the  second  one, 
on  the  right  side  of  the  creek.  This  is  much  the 


46  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND  NEW  MEXICO. 

has  formed  a  basin  six  or  eight  feet  across,  from  the  center  of  which 
boils  up  a  most  violent  current,  so  that  one  would  suppose  there  was 
water  enough  to  make  a  good-sized  trout  brook,  and  yet  not  more  than 
five  or  six  gallons  a  minute  issue  from  it.  A  small  stream  about  four 
inches  wide,  and  an  inch  deep,  passes  off  into  the  creek.  About  this 
spring,  also,  there  is  a  large  deposit,  which  is  rounded  off  on  the  side 
toward  the  creek  by  the  overflow  of  the  water  from  the  spring. 

On  Jthe  opposite  side  of  the  creek,  not  more  than  twenty  feet  from  it, 
and  located  about  ten  feet  above  it.  is  a  third  small  spring.  The  water  is 
stronger  than  that  of  the  others  and  is  used  principally  for  drinking 
purposes.  The  cavity  in  this  deposit  is  about  twelve  inches  in  diameter 
and  the  water  twelve  inches  deep,  and  the  bubbles  rise  continually  and 
energetically,  but  not  more  than  half  a  gallon  of  water  a  minute  passes 
off.  There  is  now  a  constant  deposition  of  a  whitish  substance  from 
the  spring,  and  it  extends  to  the  margin  of  the  creek.  Between  the  sec- 
ond and  third  springs  are  two  massive  red  felspathic  granite  boulders, 
a  coarse  aggregate  of  feldspar,  quartz,  and  some  black  mica.  One  of  these 
boulders,  which  lies  on  the  left  side  of  the  creek,  must  be  at  least  twenty- 
five  feet  in  diameter,  and  is  partially  rounded  by  atmospheric  influences. 
The  other  is  perhaps  six  feet  in  diameter  and  lies  in  the  middle  of  the 
stream,  and  between  the  two,  in  a  space  of  three  feet,  the  greater  part 
of  the  water  of  the  brook  rushes  down  with  considerable  force. 

The  fourth  spring  is  perhaps  fifty  feet  above  the  second,  on  the  right 
side  of  the  creek,  and  within  four  feet  of  the  water's  edge.  There  is  no 
sediment  deposited  around  it,  and,  although  the  water  bubbles  up  some- 
what, it  is  rather  chalybeate  than  otherwise.  The  taste  is  scarcely 
perceptible,  and  but  little  notice  is  taken  of  it  by  tourists. 

The  basin  of  the  second  spring  is  about  four  feet  deep  and  is  used  for 
bathing.  The  first  three  springs  are  strongly  impregnated  with  car- 
bonic acid  gas  and  are  the  true  springs. 

These  springs  must  necessarily  have  their  origin  in  the  nietamorphic 
rocks,  although  the  waters  may  pass  up  through  a  considerable  thick- 
ness of  the  older  sedimentary  beds.  On  both  sides  of  Fountain  Creek 
there  is  a  considerable  thickness  of  the  carboniferous  beds,  but  the  creek 
seems  to  run  through  a  sort  of  monoclinal  rift,  though  at  the  falls  above, 
the  stream  cuts  through  the  ridges  nearly  at  right  angles.  At  any  rate, 
there  cannot  be  a  very  great  thickness  of  the  unchanged  rocks  below 
the  surface  at  the  springs. 

As  these  springs  must  at  some  period  become  a  celebrated  and  popu- 
lar resort  for  invalids  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  I  will  add  an  analysis 
of  a  fragment  of  the  incrustation  mentioned  above,  as  given  in  Fremont's 
report,  page  117. 

Carbonate  of  lime 

Carbonate  of  magnesia 

Sulphate  of  lime,  chloride  of  calcium,  chloride  of  magnesia. : . . 

Silica 

Vegetable  matter 

Moisture  and  loss 

100.  00 

"At  11  o'clock,  when  the  temperature  of  the  air  was  73°,  that  of  the 
water  in  this  was  60°.5 ;  and  that  of  the  upper  spring,  which  issued  from 
the  flat  rocks  more  exposed  to  the  sun,  was  69°.  At  sunset,  when  the 
temperature  of  the  air  was  66°,  that  of  the  lower  springs  was  58°,  and 
that  of  the  upper  61°." — FREMONT. 


SURVEY    OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO.  47 

CHAPTER  in. 
FROM  COLORADO  CITY  TO  SPANISH  PEAKS. 

Looking  toward  Colorado  City  from  the  south,  it  would  seem  that  the 
rift,  or  pass  in  the  mountains  through  which  Fountain  Creek  ("Fontaine  qui 
louille)  flows,  formed  a  line  of  separation  between  the  ranges  of  moun- 
tains ;  that  the  north  range  died  out  suddenly,  in  its  southern  extension, 
at  this  point.  There  is  a  plain  valley  of  separation  visible. 

A  little  below  the  city,  the  ridges,  or  "  hog-backs,7'  flex  to  the  southwest 
and  jut  up  against  the  base  of  the  mountains  and  disappear.  These 
mountains  are  of  that  abrupt  type  which  I  have  before  referred  to ;  that 
is,  they  form  the  west  portion  of  an  anticlinal,  the  east  half  of  which  is 
not  visible.  These  mountains  I  call  abrupt  because  the  summits  are 
formed  of  projecting  masses  of  rocks  leaning  over  eastward  beyond  the 
base,  where  this  class  of  mountains  occur.  The  sedimentary  beds  jut  up 
against  the  base  without  any  special  dip,  or,  at  any  rate,  there  is  no  wide 
belt  of  upheaved  ridges,  but  the  most  recent  formations  in  the  region 
lap  on  to  the  base  of  the  mountains.  The  immediate  eastern  range  north 
of  Colorado  City,  and  the  one  south,  are,  it  seems  to  me,  fine  illustrations 
of  this  statement,  and  I  am  more  and  more  convinced  that  it  is  correct. 

Passing  over  that  portion  of  the  country  south  of  Colorado  City,  be- 
tween Fountain  Creek  and  the  base  of  the  mountains,  the  upper  creta- 
ceous beds,  No.  4,'^ire  quite  extensive,  with  Baculites  ovatus  and  Inoce- 
ramus  in  great  quantities.  The  cretaceous  rocks  are  well  shown,  espe- 
cially the  upper  portions,  in  the  valley  of  Fountain  Creek,  from  Colorado 
City  to  its  junction  with  the  Arkansas  River.  A  number  of  species  of 
fossils,  especially  shells  and  saurian  remains,  are  found  quite  abundantly. 
There  are  also  scattered  about,  remnants  of  the  Monument  Creek  group; 
and  below  Colorado  City  these  recent  tertiaries  occupy  considerable  area, 
and  reach  a  good  thickness. 

But  the  most  conspicuous  feature  that  we  observe  is  the  vast  quan- 
tity of  granite  boulders  scattered  over  the  surface  near  the  base  of  the 
mountains,  extending  at  least  to  Fountain  Creek.  They  diminish  in  size 
as  they  recede  from  the  mountains,  and  are  not  much  vvorn. 

About  ten  miles  below  Colorado  City  the  " hog-backs"  appear  again 
faintly  in  the  form  of  one  or  two  narrow  ridges.  The  lofty  mountain, 
rising  up  abruptly  two  thousand  or  three  thousand  feet  above  the  base, 
stops  suddenly,  and  lower  granite  ridges,  with  their  eastern  sides  sloping 
and  covered  with  grass,  come  in. 

About  fifteen  miles  south  of  Colorado  City  a  little  wooded  stream  that 
issues  from  the  mountains  seems  to  form  the  northern  limit  of  a  high 
ridge,  which  at  first  extends  from  the  foot  of  the  mountains  in  the  form 
of  a  pretty  high  "hog-back,"  but  soon  passes  down  southeast  into  the 
variegated  sands  of  the  Monument  Creek  group.  From  this  point  to 
within  a  few  miles  of  the  Arkansas,  the  recent  tertiary  beds  are  quite 
prominent.  The  mountains  seem  also  to  be  composed  largely  of  igneous 
rocks. 

About  fifteen  miles  south  of  Colorado  City  the  road  to  Canon  City 
passes  among  the  upheaved  ridges  which  form  a  very  narrow  belt  at 
first,  but  continues  to  increase  in  width  until  we  come  to  the  valley  of 
the  Arkansas,  where  they  spread  out  to  a  great  breadth. 

At  the  point  south  of  Colorado  City  where  the  upheaved  ridges  reap- 
pear, the  mountains  begin  to  break  up  into  low  hills  and  fragmentary 
ranges  which  continually  run  out  in  the  plains.  Indeed,  the  entire 
eastern  flank  of  the  mountains,  as  we  pass  from  the  north  southward, 


48  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND    NEW   MEXICO. 

exhibit  an  irregular  but  distinct  "en  echelon77  arrangement;  and  at  a 
number  of  localities,  the  ranges  will  pass  off  in  the  prairies,  south  or 
southeast,  in  groups,  thus  causing  an  abrupt  notch  or  bend  in  the  range. 
There  is  also  in  the  canon  of  the  Arkansas  an  extensive  bow  or  notch, 
where  the  upheaved  ridges  are  very  conspicuous  and  numerous,  where 
the  complete  series  of  formations,  in  their  regular  order  of  sequence,  are 
thrown  up  to  the  vision. 

After  entering  among  the  upheaved  ridges  we  find  the  lower  creta- 
ceous sandstones  forming  a  conspicuous  ridge,  inclining  thirty  degrees 
to  forty  degrees  about  northeast.  Then  come  the  variegated  sandstones 
and  the  brick-red  beds  inclining  at  various  angles  as  heretofore  described. 
Before  reaching  the  Arkansas  some  of  the  ridges  become  very  large  and 
high,  from  five  hundred  to  six  hundred  feet.  In  very  many  localities, 
for  a  long  distance,  the  red  sandstones  lie  distinctly  against  the  granite 
hills.  Not  unfrequently  for  fifty  miles  or  more  along  the  eastern  base 
of  the  mountains,  all  the  unchanged  beds  have  been  worn  away  from  the 
metamorphic,  and  a  smooth,  grassy  valley  intervenes,  so  that  it  is  some- 
times difficult  to  find  the  two  classes  of  rocks  in  contact. 

About  ten  miles  north  of  the  Arkansas  we  have  an  immense  ridge,  at 
least  eight  hundred  feet  high,  capped  with  lower  cretaceous  sandstones, 
and  below  them  fine  arenaceous  sands,  clays,  thin  beds  of  limestone  pass- 
ing down  into  variegated  layers,  with  a  heavy  bed  of  gypsum,  from 
fifteen  to  thirty  feet  thick,  at  its  base.  This  bed  of  gypsum  seems  to 
form  a  sort  of  dividing  line  between  the  brick-red  beds  and  the  varie- 
gated sandstones  above.  Passing  Beaver  Creek  we  come  into  a  fine  oval 
park,  with  the  large  ridge  on  the  east  side,  and  the  low  red  sandstones, 
which  lie  on  the  granite,  on  the  west  side.  This  park  is  about  four  miles 
long  and  half  a  mile  wide.  The  bed  of  gypsum  is  very  conspicuous. 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  Arkansas  Valley  the  cretaceous  formations  be- 
come quite  apparent,  and  while  there  seems  to  be  no  marked  line  of  sep- 
aration between  the  divisions,  yet  portions  of  Nos.  1,  2,  3,  4  and  5  can 
be  distinctly  seen.  On  Oil  Creek,  near  Canon  City,  there  are  high  iso- 
lated hills  which  show  the  black  shales  of  No.  4,  gradually  passing  up 
into  the  rusty  arenaceous  clays  of  No.  5.  High  on  the  flanks  of  the 
mountains  can  be  seen  the  carboniferous  beds,  inclining  at  large  angles. 
The  hills  are  covered  with  small  pines,  mostly  the  piiion,  (Pinus  eduUs^J 
but  all  the  lumber  has  to  be  brought  from  a  distance  of  thirty  or  forty 
miles. 

High  up  in  the  foot-hills  of  the  mountains,  in  the  valley  of  Oil  Creek, 
a  branch  of  the  Arkansas,  are  the  celebrated  Oil  Springs.  There  are 
four  of  them  from  which  oil  is  taken,  but  they  are  near  together,  and 
probably  all  come  from  the  same  source.  The  oil  seeps  out  through 
sandstone  seventy  or  eighty  feet  beneath  the  surface.  A  hole  has  been 
bored  down  three  hundred  feet,  but  no  regular  reservoir  has  been  found. 

About  four  thousand  gallons  of  refined  oil  have  been  made  here  per 
year,  for  the  past  three  years.  There  are  many  impurities  in  the  crude 
oil:  twelve  per  cent,  benzine;  fifty  per  cent,  heavy  oil ;  the  remainder  is 
tar  and  nitrogenous  matter ;  much  of  it  is  paraffine,  and  paraflme  oil.  There 
is  also  about  fifteen  per  cent,  of  useless  matter.  I  saw  more  than  twenty 
barrels  of  refuse  oil  at  the  spring,  which  had  been  rejected  from  the 
refinery.  This  is  used  for  greasing  wagons,  &c.  Specific  gravity  38. 

The  lower  cretaceous  rocks  rise  in  vertical  cut  bluffs,  four  hundred 
to  six  hundred  feet  above  the  oil  springs,  and  the  creek  cuts  through 
the  upper  part  of  the  variegated  beds.  The  course  of  Oil  Creek  is  nearly 
south.  A  range  of  mountains  extends  down  along  the  east  side  of  the 
creek,  and  runs  out  before  reaching  the  Arkansas,  and  on  the  .west  side 


SURVEY    OF    COLORADO   AND    NEW   MEXICO.  49 

the  various  formations  are  shown  in  a  nearly  horizontal  position,  or 
inclining  southwest  at  a  small  angle.  Indeed,  Oil  Creek  flows  through 
a  sort  of  synclinal  valley  in  part,  and  near  the  source  of  it  the  red  or 
triassic  beds  rest  upon  the  granites.  All  along  this  creek,  where  the 
unchanged  rocks  are  well  shown,  the  lower  cretaceous  beds  seem  to 
pass  down  into  a  narrow  belt  of  ashen  gray  sands  and  sandstones,  which 
continue  down  into  a  variegated  series  of  beds,  a  part  of  which  I  regard 
as  Jurassic. 

Near  the  oil  springs  there  are,  above  the  reddish  beds,  six  layers  of 
massive  sandstones,  varying  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  thick,  with  seams 
of  arenaceous  clays,  from  a  few  inches  to  ten  feet  in  thickness.  These 
rocks  exhibit  all  the  indications  of  shallow  water  deposition  in  places, 
but  not  a  fossil  of  any  kind  could  be  found,  and,  therefore,  it  is  dif- 
ficult to  determine  whether  they  are  lower  cretaceous  or  Jurassic. 

As  to  the  sources  of  this  oil,  I  could  gain  no  reliable  information.  The 
borings  have  gone  down  into  the  pudding-stones  of  the  lower  triassic, 
and  yet  no  reservoir  has  been  found.  It  is  not  known  but  that  the  oil 
may  come  up  from  the  granites.  Great  quantities  of  salt  water  issue 
from  the  springs  with  the  oil,  and  the  oil  is  taken  from  the  surface  of 
the  salt  water. 

At  Canon  City,  where  the  Arkansas  comes  out  of  the  mountains, 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  the  principal  ridge  or  "  hog-back,"  which  is 
composed  of  No.  1,  dips  34°,  and  has  a  trend  about  southwest;  while  on 
the  north  side  the  long  ridge,  of  wiiich  there  is  a  very  high  one,  like  a 
lofty  wall,  composed  of  the  sandstones  of  No.  1,  while  a  lower  outer  ridge 
is  made  up  of  the  line  calcareous  sandstones  of  No.  2,  filled  up  with 
Inocemmus.  It  is  from  this  low  ridge  that  the  stone  for  building  pur- 
poses is  obtained.  It  is  not  very  durable,  but  works  easily  and  makes 
handsome  structures.  This  regular  wall  extends  northward,  bordering 
the  plain  in  a  straight  line  for  five  or  six  miles,  and  is  very  conspicuous. 

Issuing  from  the  ground,  bet  ween  the  ridges  of  cretaceous  No.  1  and  No. 
2,  in  the  valley,  about  a  mile  above  Caiion  City,  is  one  of  the  finest  mineral, 
springs  we  have  seen  in  the  West.  It  is  quite  small,  but  the  water  is  de- 
licious. It  is  doubtless  the  same,  essentially,  as  the  springs  at  Colorado 
City. 

Just  back  or  inside  of  this  sandstone  wall  No.  l,is  an  ashen  gray  bed 
of  arenaceous  layers,  with  a  bed  of  fine  silicious  limestone,  containing 
what  seems  to  me  to  be  indistinct  fragments  of  fresh  water  shells.  This 
belt  passes  down  into  the  red  pudding-stones  below.  Passing  up  the 
Arkansas  a  few  hundred  yards  further,  we  come  to  the  metamorphic  rocks. 

About  four  miles  below  Canon  City,  on  the  Arkansas  Eiver,  are  some 
isolated  hills,  looking  in  the  distance  like  fortifications,  composed  of  Nos. 
4  and  5  cretaceous,  capped  with  a  rusty  yellow  sandstone,  which  I  regard 
as  the  lowest  bed  of  the  coal  formations. 

Both  the  cretaceous  and  tertiary  beds  seem  to  dip  southwest  live  to  ten 
degrees,  while  on  the  south  side  of  the  Arkansas  the  tertiary  beds  incline 
rather  northeast,  so  that  there  is  an  obscure  synclinal  which  shows  the 
influence  of  the  ranges  of  mountains  on  each  side  of  the  valley.  The  coal 
strata  have  all  the  characteristics  of  the  older  tertiary  sandstones,  as 
shown  in  the  Laramie  Plains. 

Between  Canon  City  and  Hardscrabble  Creek,  the  tertiary  beds  jut 
up  against  the  Wet  Mountain  range,  concealing  all  the  older  *rocks. 
About  half  a  mile  east  of  Canon  City,  the  higli  cretaceous  ridges  are  seen, 
and  then  they  disappear  beneath  the  tertiary  beds,  and  reappear  at  the 
head  of  Hardscrabble  Creek,  about  thirty  miles  to  the  eastward. 

High  up  the  foot  of  the  granite  hills  of  Wet  Mountain,' an  obscure  syn- 
408 


50  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO   AND    NEW   MEXICO. 

clinal  valley  can  be  seen,  through  which  flows  a  small  branch  called  Oak 
Creek.  The  dip  of  the  tertiary  beds  on  either  side  is  nowhere  more 
than  ten  degrees,  seldom  more  than  five  degrees.  The  coal  crops  out  in 
many  places.  In  the  sandstones  are  the  peculiar  concretionary  forms 
which  are  common  in  these  beds  everywhere.  Their  general  appearance 
points  out  their  age  to  the  eye  at  once. 

About  ten  miles  below  Canon  City  a  coal  bed  has  been  opened  and 
wrought  to  some  extent.  I  obtained  here  the  following  section  of  the 
strata : 

9.  Sandstone  and  clay  to  the  summit  of  the  hill         -    30  to  40  feet. 

8.  Carbonaceous  and  arenaceous  clay  —  10  feet. 

7.  Yellowish,  gray,  soft,  fine-grained  sandstones  10  feet. 

6.  Carbonaceous  clay,  passing  up  into  laminated  clay    -  20  feet. 

5.  Coal  -  1  foot. 

4.  Drab  carbonaceous  clay     -  -  -  -  10  feet. 

3.  Coal  -  -  5  feet. 

2.  Drab  clay  4  to  8  feet. 

1.  Yellow  ash-colored  arenaceous  clay,  passing  down  into  a  yellowish 
gray  sandstone. 

In  the  clay  are  nodules  of  iron  ore,  which  are  full  of  impressions  of 
deciduous  leaves,  like  Salix,  Platanus,  Thuya,  and  a  broad  flag-like  plant 
are  abundant. 

All  through  the  clay  there  is  a  yellow  powder,  oxide  of  iron,  and  seams 
of  gypsum.  Much  selenite  is  scattered  through  the  beds  of  clay  and 
coal.  The  plants^  so  far  as  I  have  seen,  are  found  in  the  clays  just  above 
the  coal. 

The  yellow  arenaceous  clays  of  No.  5,  in  the  Arkansas  Valley,  pass  up 
into  a  somewhat  extensive  series  of  what  I  call  mud  beds,  composed  of 
alternate  thin  layers  of  clay  and  mud  sandstones,  with  all  kinds  of  mud 
markings,  sort  of  transition  beds  or  beds  of  passage.  In  the  upper 
portion  of  these  layers  I  found  an  imperfect  specimen  of  Inocemmus. 
This  group  of  beds  is  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  feet  in  thickness.  Resting 
upon  them  is  a  thick  bed  of  rusty  yellow  sandstone,  which  I  regard  as 
the  lower  bed  of  the  tertiary  deposits,  and  marks  their  commencement  in 
the  Laramie  Plains,  on  the  Arkansas  Eiver,  and  the  Baton  Mountains. 
Below  these  Jbeds  of  passage  there  is  a  yellow,  arenaceous,  marly  clay,  full 
of  iron-rust  concretions,  with  an  abundance  of  small  bivalves  and  other 
shells,  with  Bacidites  ovatus — plainly  No.  5. 

It  is  now  clear  that  the  Caii on  City  coal  formation  occupies  a  very 
restricted  area;  that  the  entire  thickness  of  the  beds  cannot  be  more 
than  six  hundred  to  eight  hundred  feet;  and  that  it  is  an  isolated  portion, 
protected  from  erosion  in  a  manner  not  easily  explained,  and  that  it  was 
once  connected  with  the  same  formations  in  the  Laramie  Plains,  about 
Denver;  southward  in  the  Baton  Mountains,  and  most  probably  also 
with  those  containing  coal  in  the  valley  of  the  Bio  Grande.  The  area 
occupied  by  the  coal  beds  lies  east  of  Canon  City,  between  Wet  Moun- 
tain and  the  Arkansas  Biver,  with  the  eastern  limit  three  or  four  miles 
before  reaching  Hardscrabble  Creek.  It  is  about  twenty  miles  from 
east  to  west,  and  five  to  eight  miles  Avide  from  north  to  south ;  and  only  a 
small  portion  of  it  will  furnish  coal.  The  coal  itself  is  quite  good  for 
the  purposes  of  fuel,  but  the  beds  are  not  thick,  and  the  quantity  is  not 
great.  There  is  the  usual  quantity  of  brown  iron  ore  connected  with 
these  beds. 

The  Arkansas  Biver  flows  through  the  synclinal  depression,  below 
the  mouth  of  Hardscrabble  Creek. 


SURVEY    OF    COLORADO   AND    NEW   MEXICO.  51 

It  may  be  that  the  older  rocks  are  elevated  under  the  debris  close  to 
the  foot  of  Wet  Mountain,  but  no  beds  older  than  the  cretaceous  can  be 
seen.  The  upper  cretaceous  beds  extend  up  close  to  the  mountains, 
oftentimes  capped  with  the  tertiary,  inclining  not  more  than  five  to  ten 
degrees. 

At  the  head  of  Hardscrabble  Greek  the  ridges  of  upheaval  or  "  hog- 
backs" begin  to  show  themselves  again  in  a  narrow  belt  which  rapidly 
widens  out,  so  that  before  reaching  Greenhorn  Greek  they  have  spread 
out  to  a  width  of  several  miles. 

On  Eed  Creek,  which  is  about  eight  miles  south  of  Hardscrabble, 
there  is  the  finest  exhibition  of  the  yellow  massive  chalk  passing  down 
into  the  gray  marl  of  No.  3  that  I  have  seen  south  of  the  Upper  Mis- 
souri. In  the  channel  of  this  stream  and  its  branches  there  are  vertical 
walls  eighty  to  one  hundred  feet  high,  looking  much  like  irregular  mason 
work.  Some  of  the  gray  portion  is  a  very  hard  limestone,  and  contains 
a  large,  apparently  undescribed  species  of  Inoceramus.  Between  Ked 
Creek  and  St.  Charles  there  are  other  exhibitions  of  the  cretaceous 
rocks,  but  especially  of  the  quartzose  sandstones  of  No.  1,  which,  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountains,  are  cut  through  by  the  numerous  little  branches 
in  a  most  picturesque  manner.  The  little  streams  run  through  vertical 
walls  eighty  to  one  hundred  feet  high,  forming  most  interesting  canons, 
and  revealing  all  the  peculiarities  of  structure  of  this  sandstone.  Some 
of  it  is  coarse  and  friable,  other  portions  are  compact  silicious  rocks; 
others,  a  pebbly  conglomerate.  All  the  illustrations  of  irregular  layers 
of  deposition,  ripple  or  wave  markings  peculiar  to  sandstones,  are  found 
here;  also,  admirable  examples  of  slickensides.  The  jointage,  which  is 
very  marked,  is  vertical,  at  right  angles  to  the  lines  of  stratification,  and 
most  essentially  assists  atmospheric  agencies  in  wearing  it  away,  so  that 
the  sides  of  the  walls  are  often  very  rugged,  and  immense  cubical  blocks 
have  fallen  down  by  the  water's  side. 

The  diiferent  formations  all  along  the  flanks  of  the  mountains  are 
exposed  by  the  upheaval  of  the  mountains,  and  lie  in  belts  or  zones, 
wrhich  are  sometimes  concealed  for  a  distance  by  recent  tertiary  deposits 
or  by  debris;  or  they  are  narrow  or  wide  at  diiferent  points,  and  their 
conditions  are  only  to  be  determined  by  personal  inspection. 

At  the  head  of  St.  Charles  Creek  all  the  rocks  incline  gradually  down 
from  the  mountain  side.  No.  1  dips  thirty  degrees  and  slopes  gently 
down  until  it  reaches  a  nearly  horizontal  position  in  the  plain.  West 
of  this  first  high  ridge  is  a  fine  valley  in  which  are  beautiful,  cultivated 
farms.  The  red  beds  are  well  shown,  and  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  the 
carboniferous  limestones  are  exposed  on  the  sides  of  the  mountains. 

Just  before  reaching  Greenhorn  Creek  all  the  small  ridges  and  the 
first  high  one  run  out  in  the  plain,  and  the  mountains  fiex  around 
toward  the  southwest  to  form  the  notch  for  the  Sangre  de  Christo  Pass. 
The  ridges  of  elevation  and  the  side  ranges,  like  Wet  Mountain,  have  a 
general  trend  about  northwest  and  southeast,  and  all  the  lower  ridges 
run  out  in  the  prairie,  and  Wet  Mountain  ceases  at  the  pass. 

On  the  north  side  of  Greenhorn  Creek,  near  Hicklin's  Kanche,  No.  2, 
is  a  rusty  arenaceous  limestone,  full  of  shark's  teeth,  mingled  with  a 
small  species  of  Ostrea.  The  arenaceous  limestone  is  attached  to  a  gray, 
fine  grained  sandstone,  and  is  rather  concretionary  in  form.  Just  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  creek,  and  apparently  holding  a  higher  position, 
are  the  quartzose  rocks  of  No.  1.  Around  the  south  end  of  the  Wet 
Mountain,  the  cretaceous  beds,  Nos.  2  and  3,  in  the  form  of  dark  clay, 
and  yellow,  chalky  shales,  present  bench-like  hills,  extending  down  at 


52         SURVEY  OF  COLORADO  AND  NEW  MEXICO. 

right  angles  to  the  strike  of  the  range  or  eastward,  and  present  an  east 
front  with  nearly  horizontal  strata. 

All  the  ridges  along  the  flanks  of  Wet  Mountain  have  a  general  strike 
of  northwest  and  southeast,  and  run  out  in  the  plain.  Wet  Mountain 
also  flexes  around  slightly  so  as  to  end  nearly  or  quite  in  a  south  trend, 
while  the  ridges  appear  again  on  the  southwest  and  west  side,  running 
up  into  Huerfano  Park.  Here  we  see  on  the  west  side  of  the  Wet  Mount- 
ain range,  the  red  beds  and  cretaceous  formations,  corresponding  to 
those  on  the  east  side.  The  park  is  largely  occupied  with  the  calcareous 
shales  of  No.  3. 

Just  before  reaching  Badito,  in  the  Sangre  de  Christo  Pass,  there  is  a 
long  ridge,  extending  down  westward  from  the  Wet  Mountains,  which  is 
composed  mostly  of  the  red  and  white  sandstones  of  the  triassic,  inclin- 
ing twenty-five  to  thirty  degrees.  At  Badito  we  find  mostly  a  reddish- 
gray  quartzose  sandstone  like  No.  1,  and  it  forms  the  foot-hills  of  the 
mountains.  As  usual  the  dip  of  the  bed  is  in  various  directions  and  at 
different  angles.  The  Huerfano  Creek  is  a  fine  stream  with  a  moderately 
wide  valley  which  is  all  cultivated  by  Mexicans.  Huerfano  Park  is 
about  fifteen  miles  long  and  from  three  to  five  wide,  and  is  already  filled 
with  settlers.  It  is  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  mountains  composed  of 
igneous  and  metamorphic  rocks.  Black  Butte,  the  principal  peak  of  Wet 
Mountain  range,  appears  perfectly  round  or  mammi-form  and  is  basaltic. 
Scattered  over  the  area  of  the  park  are  several  outbursts  of  basalt.  The 
cretaceous  beds  dip  south  in  some  places  ten  to  twenty-five  degrees ;  in 
others  they  are  nearly  horizontal.  As  we  ascend  the  pass  by  the  road 
we  can  see  three  considerable  ranges  called  the  Yeta  Mountains — one 
range  on  the  north  side  and  two  on  the  south  side — all  igneous  rocks. 
They  all  have  sharp  sierra-like  summits. 

These  dikes  have  so  heated  the  sedimentary  rocks  in  their  vicinity 
that  we  have  here  every  variety  and  grade  between  unchanged  and 
changed  rocks.  The  summits  and  sides  of  these  mountains  are  covered 
with  a  continuous  mass  of  debris  of  broken  rocks,  and  this  mass  has  the 
appearance  of  being  just  ready  to  fall  down,  like  an  immense  land-slide. 
On  the  sides  of  the  mountains  near  the  pass  are  belts  of  quartzose  sand- 
stone, some  of  it  a  pudding-stone — really  forming  a  portion  of  those  seen 
on  the  west  side,  for  I  do  not  think  we  come  to  the  axis  here  until  we 
find  the  granitic  belt,  some  eight  or  ten  miles  west  of  the  immediate 
summit  of  the  pass.  We  therefore  have  the  cretaceous  rocks,  limestones, 
and  sandstones,  and  then  the  reddish  sandstones  at  the  summit,  and 
then  farther  west  the  full  series  of  carboniferous  limestones.  From  the 
divide  between  the  Greenhorn  and  Cuchara  creeks,  looking  southward, 
is  one  of  the  most  extended  and  beautiful  views  on  our  route.  The  long 
level  benches  extend  down  from  the  mountains,  apparently  breaking  off 
from  point  to  point,  and  appearing  high  at  the  place  broken.  These 
benches  are  planed  off  so  as  to  look  like  long  tables,  and,  with  the  valleys 
between  them,  seem  to  me  to  show  clearly  the  direction  of  the  eroding 
force.  All  these  benches  are  underlaid  by  the  soft  sandy  marls  of  Nos. 
2  and  3,  cretaceous. 

Huerfano  Butte  rises  up  in  the  midst  of  the  plain  in  the  valley  of 
Huerfano  Creek.  The  rocks  are  basaltic,  some  portions  a  true  syenite. 
It  is  evident  that  it  is  a  portion  of  a  dike  which  has  extended  north- 
east from  the  mountains.  Much  of  the  rock  is  massive  igneous  granite. 
Fragments  of  cretaceous  clays,  changed  by  heat,  are  scattered  around  the 
butte.  It  seems  to  me  that  this  is  a  dike,  thrust  up  before  the  super- 
incumbent beds  were  swept  away,  and  that  the  igneous  material  never 
reached  the  surface  in  a  melted  state.  The  butte  is  about  two  hundred 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO.  53 

feet  high,  the  rocks  being  of  a  dark  steel-gray  color.    There  is  no  evi- 
dence that  the  underlying  strata  have  been  disturbed  by  this  butte. 

The  evidences  of  igneous  protrusions  are  everywhere  abundant,  south 
of  this  point,  for  two  hundred  miles.  The  Spanish  Peaks  I  regard  as  a 
gigantic  dike,  with  the  strike  about  northeast  and  southwest.  The  entire 
surface  of  the  country,  from  the  Spanish  Peaks  to  the  Eaton  Mountains, 
is  penetrated  with  dikes,  which  often  reacli  far  across  the  country  with 
.  a  trend  about  northeast  and  southwest.  The  cretaceous  rocks  are  in 
many  places  much  changed  by  contact  with  the  fluid  mass,  and  in  some 
cases  the  strata  are  somewhat  disturbed.  The  clays  are  turned  into 
slates  and  the  sandstones  into  dark  steel-colored  rocks,  much  like  the 
basalt  itself.  In  No.  2 1  found  a  species  of  Inoceramus^  very  distinct,  and 
a  Modiola. 

About  ten  miles  before  reaching  the  Apishpa  Creek  the  tertiary  sand- 
stones begin  to  show  their  abrupt  bluffs  on  our  right.  I  am  convinced 
that  beds  of  this  age  entirely  surround  the  Spanish  Peaks  and  the 
mountains  in  the  vicinity.  This  abrupt  front  continues  north  of  the 
Eaton  Mountains  until  we  come  to  Trinidad,  and  presents  a  singular  feature 
in  the  scenery.  It  would  seem  to  form  a  sort  of  a  shore  line  of  a  won- 
derful basin,  as  if  a  body  of  water  had  swept  along  and  washed  against 
these  high  bluffs,  as  along  some  large  river.  That  these  beds  once  ex- 
tended far  out  into  the  plains  eastward,  seems  clear,  and  the  evidences 
of  erosive  action  are  enormous.  Here,  abrupt  bluffs  which  form  these 
different  shore  lines  are  four  hundred  to  six  hundred  feet  high  above  the 
creeks,  and  the  dip  of  the  strata  is  about  five  degrees  west  or  southwest. 
In  the  plains  to  the  eastward  are  isolated  mesas,  which  are  left  as  monu- 
ments to  show  that  thesebeds,  with  the  igneous  outpourings,  once  extended 
over  a  large  part  or  all  of  the  space  to  the  eastward,  which  now  looks  so 
finely  leveled  off  like  a  meadow.  This  wall-like  front  extends  sixty  or 
eighty  miles  in  a  nearly  direct  line  southward,  capped  with  a  thick  bed 
of  basalt,  for  the  most  part. 

Just  east  of  the  Spanish  Peaks  a  distinct  synclinal  can  be  seen  in  the 
tertiary  beds.  They  dip  slightly  from  the  peaks,  and  from  the  bluffs 
they  dip  gently  toward  the  peaks,  enough  to  produce  a  distinct  depres- 
sion of  considerable  length.  I  do  not  know  why  the  tertiary  strata 
incline  toward  the  mountains,  unless  they  have  been  partially  elevated 
by  the  dikes. 

As  far  to  the  southward  as  the  eye  can  reach,  the  country  looks  rugged 
and  mountainous,  with  some  curious  mesa-like  summits  covered  thickly 
with  the  pinon.  These  tertiary  beds  are  composed  as  usual  of  alternate 
beds  of  rather  yielding  sandstones  of  all  textures  and  composition,  with 
clays,  some  of  which  are  carbonaceous.  The  harder  beds  project  out 
from  the  sides  of  the  hills,  while  the  softer  beds  ai^e  smoothed  off  and 
covered  with  grass  or  other  vegetation. 

Near  a  stage  station,  about  ten  miles  south  of  Apishpa  Creek,  the  creta- 
ceous clays,  No.  2,  are  cut  through  by  a  small  creek,  so  as  to  reveal  three 
dikes  within  the  space  of  thirty  feet.  The  first  is  well  defined  ;  four  inches 
wide,  vertical,  looking  like  a  stratum  of  dark  brown  sandstone  standing 
perpendicular;  strike  twenty  degrees  north  of  east.  Second  dike,  strike 
northeast  and  southwest;  four  feet  wide.  Third  dike,  northeast  and 
southwest,  from  twelve  to  eighteen  inches  wide.  The  clays  are  not  dis- 
turbed, and  are  perfectly  horizontal,  but  so  changed  on  each  side  of  the 
dike  that  the  cleavage  has  the  appearance  of  stratification.  I  am  con- 
vinced that  in  the  case  of  these  small  dikes  the  melted  material  has  been 
thrust  up  through  the  cleavage  openings.  There  are  very  many  dikes 
in  this  region,  all  of  which  have  a  similar  direction.  I  suspect  that  in 


54  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND    NEW   MEXICO. 

all  cases  of  dikes  these  cleavage  openings  are  lines  of  least  resistance,  and 
form  the  apertures  for  the  exit  ol  melted  material,  and  that  the  sur- 
rounding strata  are  not  disturbed  only  where  the  pressure  from  beneath 
is  too  great.  I  would  simply  suggest,  however,  that  it  is  quite  probable 
that  as  there  are  in  nearly  all  rocks  two  sets  of  cleavage  lines  crossing 
each  other  at  certain  angles,  so  there  are  two  sets  of  gigantic  cleavage 
lines  for  the  earth's  surface,  which  have  formed  the  lines  of  least  resistance 
to  the  elevation  of  the  mountain  ranges — the  basaltic  ranges  in  most 
instances  having  a  strike  northeast  and  southwest,  while  the  metamor- 
phic  ranges  trend  northwest  and  southeast.  The  eruption  of  the  igneous 
rocks  is  an  event  subsequent  to  the  elevation  of  the  metamorphic  ranges. 
Sometimes  the  eruptive  rocks  seem  to  trend  northwest  and  southeast,  or 
nearly  so. 

On  the  hills  surrounding  Trinidad  arc  great  quantities  of  impressions 
of  deciduous  leaves  in  the  rocks.  The  most  conspicuous,  as  well  as 
abundant,  fossil,  is  a  species  of  fan  palm,  undoubtedly  Salal  campbellii, 
which  occurs  in  the  lignite  beds  011  the  Upper  Missouri.  This  plant 
would  seem  to  have  formed  the  dominant  tree  in  ancient  times,  much  like 
the  palmetto  of  South  Carolina.  In  some  places  the  calcareous  sand- 
stones are  filled  with  this  plant  for  miles.  There  are  also,  in  considerable 
abundance,  leaves  of  the  Magnolia,  Platanus,  Laurus,&c.,  and,  so  far  as  I 
can  determine,  identical  with  the  species  found  on  the  Upper  Missouri.  I 
do  not  doubt  for  a  moment  that  all  the  coal  beds  of  the  Eaton  Mountains 
are  tertiary  and  belong  to  the  great  coal  system  which  has  already  been 
traced  over  such  a  wide  area.  In  a  little  dry  creek  I  observed  an  out- 
crop of  coal,  about  two  feet  thick,  with  drab  clay  above,  filled  with  brown 
iron  ore,  and  above  this  a  gray  laminated  sandstone.  In  this  sandstone 
a  huge  specimen  of  the  8abal  was  found. 

About  four  or  live  miles  up  the  Purgatory  Elver,  above  Trinidad,  011 
the  south  side  of  the  creek,  I  examined  two  openings  that  have  been 
made  for  coal.  It  is  the  same  bed  in  both  places,  and  is  about  four  or  five 
feet  thick  at  the  outcrop.  Underneath  it,  is  a  sort  of  indurated  sandstone 
with  very  irregular  Iamiua3,  with  thin  layers  of  vegetable  matter. 
Immediately  beneath  the  coal  is  four  to  six  feet  of  drab  arenaceous  clay, 
with  large  concretionary  masses  of  iron  ore  of  excellent  quality;  above 
the  coal  is  drab  clay  passing  up  into  sandstone.  These  openings  for 
coal  are  about  fifteen  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  creek,  and  the  strata  are 
nearly  horizontal.  The  clay  above  the  coal  at  the  other  opening,  not 
far  away,  is,  perhaps,  eight  feet  thick,  and  full  of  iron  ore,  with  leaves 
like  willow  and  nuts  and  small  filiform  leaves  like  grass.  The  clay  is 
a  drab  steel  color  passing  gradually  up  into  a  very  rugged  sandstone  with 
projecting  hard  layers,  which  give  a  wall-like  appearance  to  the  bluff-like 
sides.  From  the  Spanish  Peaks  to  Trinidad,  and  along  the  Purgatory- 
Creek  for  four  miles  above,  the  black  shales  of  the  cretaceous  are  visi- 
ble. Usually  in  this  region  these  drab  shales  pass  into  a  series  of 
alternate  clays  and  sandstones  in  thin  layers,  and  upon  them  rests  a 
conspicuuso  bed  of  rusty  yellow  sandstone,  which  I  have  regarded  as  the 
lowest  bed  of  the  tertiary  series.  A  bed  of  sandstone  precisely  similar  to 
this,  and  holding  the  same  geological  position,  occurs  at  Canon  City  and 
the  Laramio  Plains.  But  at  these  localities  the  intermediate  cretaceous 
beds,  Kos.  3,  4,  and  5,  are  not  absent,  while  in  the  Eaton  Mountains  the 
sandstone  seems  to  rest  directly  upon  the  lower  cretaceous  formation, 
No.  2.  I  have  searched  this  sandstone  over  an  area  of  many  miles  for 
fossils,  and  I  only  succeeded  in  finding  one  obscure  fragment  of  a  marine 
bivalve  like  the  clam,  while  in  the  mud  beds  and  shales  below,  speci- 
mens of  Inoceramus  are  common.  I  make  this  sandstone,  therefore,  the 


SURVEY    OF    COLORADO   AND   NEW    MEXICO.  55 

line  of  separation  between  the  tertiary  and  cretaceous  formations  in  this 
region.  If  this  is  true — and  I  am  confident  that  it  is — there  is  an  entire 
want  of  continuity  in  the  sequence  of  the  beds. 

In  a  dry  gulch,  about  two  miles  west  of  Trinidad,  there  is  a  bluff  with 
about  thirty  feet  of  black  cretaceous  shales,  No.  2,  with  an  irregular 
surface,  on  which  is  deposited  ten  to  fifteen  feet  of  partially  worn  pebbles, 
held  together  by  a  carbonate  or  silicate  of  lime.  Much  of  it  looks  like 
tufa.  In  this  place  there  is  quite  a  deposit  of  what  appears  to  be  the 
excrement  of  birds  or  bats,  but  which  has  been  oftentimes  mistaken  for 
the  indications  of  petroleum.  This  deposit  of  piu7 ding-stone  seems  to 
be  quite  common,  and  is  well  shown  in  the  banks  of  all  the  dry  creeks. 

Eaton  Teak  is  the  highest  point  in  this  region,  and  I  have  estimated 
it  to  be  about  eight  hundred  to  a  thousand  feet  above  Purgatory  Creek. 
It  is  capped  with  a  huge  mass  of  basalt,  and  underneath  it  is  a  great 
thickness  of  the  tertiary  strata,  some  layers  of  which  are  full  of  impres- 
sions of  leaves.  I  distinctly  recognized  Sabal,  Platanus,  Gary  a,  Cornus, 
and  Populus.  In  the  muddy  sandstones,  just  underneath  the  coal  bed,  are 
an  abundance  of  a  species  of  pine  cone  in  the  form  of  casts. 

Crossing  the  road,  about  four  miles  west  of  Trinidad,  is  a  beautiful 
illustration  of  a  dike,  about  twelve  to  fourteen  inches  wide,  with  a  strike 
twenty  degrees  south  of  east,  and  a  slight  inclination  southward.  It  is 
thrust  up  through  a  considerable  thickness  of  the  lower  tertiary  beds.  The 
rock  seems  to  be  very  heavy,  though  full  of  cavities,  filled  with  a  whitish 
substance  which  cuts  easily  with  a  knife — calcite  or  carbonate  of  lime.  The 
hills  north  of  Fischer's  Peak,  through  a  bed  of  coal.  A  little  further  the 
mass  of  the  rocks  has  a  rather  bright,  black  color.  This  dike  runs  along  the 
road  and  passes  over  another  dike,  which  is  more  obscure  and  not  as  well 
defined.  On  the  east  side  of  the  road  are  several  outcroppings  of  coal 
in  the  sides  of  the  hills.  The  coal  is  about  four  feet  thick,  with  arena- 
ceous clay  above,  passing  up  into  sandstone. 

About  five  miles  south  of  Trinidad,  on  the  east  side  of  the  road,  is 
another  exposure  of  the  coal  iu  the  banks  of  a  little  creek,  which  is 
worthy  of  notice.  From  the  water's  edge  up  there  are  layers  of  tine- 
gr  ained  sandstone  filled  with  bits  of  vegetable  matter.  Above  this  comes 
a  bed  of  black  shale,  four  feet,  passing  up  into  a  gray  sandstone,  rather 
concretionary  and  irregular  in  its  line  of  deposition.  This  bed  is  fifteen 
or  twenty  feet,  sometimes  solid  sandstone.  Then  in  a  little  distance  it 
will  be  separated  by  a  bed  of  shale  or  black  slate.  Above  the  sandstone 
is  shale  with  iron  ore ;  then  about  two  feet  of  mud  sandstone  ;  then  very 
black  clay,  nodular  in  some  places — the  middle  portion  impure,  earthy 
coal — five  feet ;  then  two  feet  laminated  bluish  gray  sandstone,  with  stems 
and  bits  of  vegetable  matter  scattered  through  it;  then  black  coaly  shale, 
— eighteen  inches  ;  passing  up  into  a  layer  of  good  coal — twelve  inches; 
black  shale — four  feet;  then  a  layer  of  sandstone — three  inches;  then  black 
shale  passing  up  into  arenaceous  clays ;  then  black  shale — six  feet;  then 
a  bed  of  coal — six  or  seven  feet.  Immediately  above  the  coal  bed,  without 
any  clay,  is  an  irregular  gray,  rusty  sandstone,  full  of  concretionary 
layers,  and  readily  yielding  to  atmospheric  influences.  Then  conies  drab 
arenaceous  clay— three  feet ;  good  coal — four  feet ;  drab  arenaceous  clay, 
with  very  large  concretionary  masses  of  brown  iron  ore.  This  clay  bed 
must  be  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  thick,  passing  up  into  a  soft  yellow  sand- 
stone, fifteen  or  twenty  feet  thick,  and  capping  the  first  hill.  Then 
alternations  of  sandstone  and  clays  continue  far  up  the  distant  hills  for 
hundreds  of  feet,  until  we  reach  the  mesa  or  basaltic  cap.  Here  some 
coal  beds  show  plainly  along  the  road  for  six  or  eight  miles  above  Trin- 
idad, and  still  higher  up  on  the  hills,  now  concealed  by  vegetation,  I 


56  SURVEY    OF   COLORADO   AND    NEW   MEXICO. 

have  no  doubt  that  there  are  beds  of  coal.  The  mesa,  of  which  Eaton 
and  Fischer's  Peaks  form  parts,  is  undoubtedly  the  overflow  of  a  dike, 
which  seemed  to  take  a  general  direction  northeast  and  southwest,  and 
toward  the  northeast  appears  to  incline  about  ten  degrees. 

In  ascending  the  Raton  Mountains  by  the  road  the  cretaceous  beds 
soon  disappear;  the  tertiary  come  in  with  coal  and  soon  disappear  in 
turn.  The  dip  of  these  beds  I  found  difficult  to  determine,  and,  I  think, 
when  there  is  any,  it  is  local,  and  that  in  the  aggregate  they  may  be  re- 
garded as  nearly  horizontal.  Just  before  reaching  the  toll-gate,  near  Mr. 
Wooten's,  the  sandstone  inclines  northward  about  fifteen  degrees.  Near 
the  toll-gate,  by  the  side  of  the  road,  a  bed  of  impure  coal,  two  feet  thick, 
has  been  exposed.  In  a  ravine  further  south  there  is  an  opening  from 
which  coal  is  taken  for  fuel,  the  bed  being  four  feet  thick  and  of  excellent 
quality.  This  bed  has  some  impure  coal  above  and  below,  and  when 
opened  I  think  that  it  will  prove  to  be  from  six  to  eight  feet  thick,  good 
coal.  The  grass  and  debris  so  cover  these  hills  that  it  is  impossible  to 
get  a  connected  section  of  the  beds,  but  the  usual  clays  and  sandstones 
occur  above  the  coal. 

Toward  the  southern  end  of  the  pass  there  are  some  perpendicular  walls 
of  sandstone  which  show  a  vertical  cleavage,  strike  southeast  and  north- 
west. In  this  sandstone  are  two  or  three  small  seams  of  coal,  two  to  four 
inches  thick,  which  break  the  lines  of  cleavage  and  interrupt  them.  This 
sandstone  is  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  thick,  and 
immediately  beneath  it  is  an  irregular  bed  of  the  alternate  thin  layers 
of  the  mud  sandstone  arid  clay,  which  I  have  called  a  bed  of  passage 
between  the  cretaceous  and  tertiary  of  this  region.  I  call  it  a  sort  of 
mud  shale,  as  the  sediments  seem  to  indicate  a  foutinuous  mud  flat, 
Avith  the  surface  of  the  sandstones  and  shales  covered  with  all  sorts  of 
mud  markings.  As  we  emerge  from  the  Raton  Mountains  southward  to 
the  plains  we  find  a  large  thickness  of  this  mud  shale  with  the  sandstones 
above.  There  seems  to  be  three  hundred  to  four  hundred  feet  of  sand- 
stone, with  a  cap  of  basalt.  At  the  foot  of  the  hills  there  is  a  dike  with 
a  strike  northeast  and  southwest,  with  a  width  of  about  six  feet.  This 
dike  is  shown  on  the  west  side  of  the  road  in  the  form  of  a  pile  of  hori- 
zontal columns,  like  cordwood,  fifty  feet  high  or  more.  Some  of  the 
columns  are  five-sided,  but  mostly  four-sided. 

All  along  our  right  hand  the  high  hills  are  precisely  as  they  were  from 
Spanish  Peaks  to  Trinidad.  These  bluff-hills  continue  like  an  irregular 
wall  as  far  as  Maxwell's.  They  are  cut  up  by  side  streams  into  cones  and 
ridges,  giving  a  wonderful  picturesqueness  to  the  scenery.  Thifc  range 
of  hills  presents  the  same  kind  of  shore-line  as  is  seen  north  of  the 
Raton  Hills,  with  the  lower  cretaceous  shales  and  the  sandstone  in  juxta- 
position, On  the  east  side  of  the  road,  broken  portions  of  these  ridges 
extend  down  southward  or  southeast.  Scattered  over  this  broad  plain 
are  buttes  and  mesas — isolated  exhibitions  of  the  basaltic  rocks.  The 
tertiary  beds  soon  cease  in  the  plains  to  the  eastward,  and  the  cretaceous 
beds  occupy  the  country.  That  all  this  beautiful  valley  or  plain  on  the 
cast  side  of  the  Raton  Hills  has  been  carved  out  of  the  tertiary  strata 
appears  to  me  most  probable.  Why  the  eroding  agency  left  such  a  belt 
of  hills  as  the  Raton  it  is  difficult  for  me  to  determine,  but  I  am  dis- 
posed to  believe  that  it  acted  from  the  northwest  toward  the  southeast, 
and  was  local.  The  direction  of  all  the  benches  of  cretaceous  material 
left  in  the  valley,  as  well  as  that  of  the  mesa  tops,  has  this  general  trend, 
and  the  map  will  show  the  numerous  branches  which  flow  from  the  moun- 
tains into  the  Canadian  River  through  these  tertiary  hills.  I  have  called 
the  bluff-hills  on  the  west  side  of  the  road  a  shore  line,  because  they  pre- 


SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND   NEW   MEXICO.  57 

sent  almost  vertical  sides  like  tlie  bluft's  along  the  Missouri  River.  These 
hills  show  first  lower  cretaceous  shales,  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  thick,  then  fifty  to  one  hundred  feet  of  sandstone,  the  coal 
beds  overlaid  with  sandstones  again.  When  any  of  the  little  streams  cut 
these  beds,  they  reveal  the  coal,  as  in  the  Vermejo  Creek  and  others, 
ascending  toward  their  sources. 

Near  the  Yerniejo  Creek  I  obtained  the  following  general  section 
ascending: 

1st.  Cretaceous  shales,  with  Inoceramus  and  Ostrea. 

2d.  Massive  heavy  bedded  sandstone,  yellowish  gray,  rather  concre- 
tionary in  its  structure,  and  weathering  by  exfoliation. 

3d.  Three  thin  seams  of  coal,  with  clay  above  and  below,  in  all  twenty 
feet  in  thickness. 

4th.  Busty  gray  sandstones,  fifteen  feet. 

5th.  Clay,  passing  up  into  a  thick  bed  of  coal,  apparently  from  six  to 
ten  feet  thick. 

6th.  The  coal  is  overlaid  immediately  by  a  soft  sandstone,  which  passes 
up  into  a  heavy  bedded  sandstone,  fifty  to  eighty  feet  thick. 

7th.  One  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  arenaceous  clays,  two  beds  of  coal 
about  midway,  one  twelve  inches  the  other  four  feet  thick,  with  a  few 
thin  beds  of  sandstone. 

8th.  Capping  the  hills  is  a  bed  of  sandstone  of  indefinite  thickness. 

In  the  sandstone  are  immense  rounded  masses  of  a  deep,  dull  reddish, 
rather  fine-grained  sandstone,  which  is  evidently  concretionary.  Many 
of  these  masses  have  fallen  down  on  the  sides  of  the  hill,  and  are  now 
disintegrating  by  the  process  of  exfoliation.  From  these  high  hills  one 
can  look  with  a  field-glass  fifty  to  one  hundred  miles  into  the  plains 
southeast,  along  the  valley  of  the  Canadian  River.  A  long,  mesa-like 
ridge  extends  down  from  the  mountains  and  finally  dies  out  in  the 
plains.  I  am  confident  that  the  conical  hills  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Vermejo  are  six  hundred  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  creek. 

I  am  now  satisfied  that  these  tertiary  strata  extend  close  up  to  the 
mountains  from  the  Spanish  Peaks  to  Maxwell's,  and  the  only  way  I 
can  account  for  the  very  slight  disturbances  of  the  sedimentary  beds  is 
the  fact  that  the  mountains  to  the  west  of  them  are  mostly  basaltic. 
The  miners  in  the  Moreno  Valley  regard  it  as  very  strange  that  gold 
mines  and  coal  beds  should  be  found  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  each 
other.  From  the  fact  that  these  hills  or  mountains  are  composed 
almost  entirely  of  horizontal  strata  of  comparatively  recent  date,  I 
think  they  should  be  called  simply  hills.  They  occupy  quite  an 
extensive  area,  and  contain  a  vast  quantity  of  coal  and  iron 
ore,  practically  inexhaustible,  however  great  the  demand  in  future 
years.  The  brown  iron  ore  of  this  vicinity  is  the  richest  I  have 
ever  seen  in  the  West,  and  the  coal  is  equal  to  any  ever  discovered 
west  of  the  Missouri  river,  except  that  in  thePlaciere  Mountains  of  New 
Mexico.  Between  the  Cimarron  and  Rayada  Creeks,  a  lofty  ridge,  one 
thousand  feet  or  more  in  height,  extends  from  the  mountains  with  a 
trend  a  little  south  of  east,  the  dip  north  about  forty-five  degrees.  North 
from  this  ridge,  which  is  composed  of  altered  sandstones,  the  tertiary 
beds  dip  gently  about  five  to  ten  degrees.  Between  these  and  the  al- 
tered sandstone  ridge  is  a  cretaceous  ridge,  five  hundred  feet  high,  in- 
clining at  a  moderate  angle.  This  ridge  of  altered  sandstone  seems  to 
be  a  sort  of  side  elevation  or  spur,  prolonged  eastward  from  the  main 
range,  and  soon  ceases. 

From  Maxwell's  to  Fort  Union  the  plain  country  is  occupied  by  creta- 
ceous rocks,  mostly  the  dark  shales  of  No.  2,  though  the  sand- 


58  SUEVEY    OF    COLOEADO    AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

stones  of  No.  1  appear  now  and  then,  especially  in  the  vicinity  of 
Fort  Union.  Scattered  all  over  this  broad  space  are  a  vast  number  of 
conical  buttes  and  mesas,  so  that  the  surface  would  seem  to  be  pierced 
everywhere  by  dikes  or  outbursts  of  basaltic  rocks.  Since  leaving  the 
Arkansas  Eiver  southward,  the  cretaceous  formations  seem  to  have  in- 
creased greatly  in  importance,  and  here  No.  2  seems  to  be  enor- 
mously developed.  After  leaving  the  Ciniarron  southward,  a  peculiar 
configuration  of  the  surface  commences,  which  has  been  gradually  un- 
folding ever  since  we  left  the  Spanish  Peaks.  From  this  point  to  the 
Ciinarron  there  was  a  commingling  of  features,  those  that  result  from 
the  outpouring  of  the  igneous  rocks,  and  those  from  the  weathering  of 
the  tertiary  strata.  South  of  the  Cimarron,  the  rallies  are  more  narrow 
and  more  sharply  defined,  as  are  the  cones  and  mesas,  and  the  only  form- 
ations involved,  so  far  as  the  plains  are  concerned,  are  the  igneous 
rocks  and  the  lower  cretaceous.  The  grass  is  excellent  in  the  vallies, 
and  the  hills  are  covered  with  pinon.  No  good  timber  is  found  any- 
where, so  that  the  adobe  method  of  building  houses  adopted  by  the  Mex 
icaus  would  seem  to  have  arisen  from  the  natural  deficiencies  of  the 
country.  The  mingling  of  the  eroded  material  of  the  igneous  rocks 
with  the  cretaceous  clays,  sands,  and  marls,  seems  to  have  produced  a 
good  soil.  The  vallies  appear  to  have  been  carved  out  of  the  basaltic  me- 
sas, sometimes  with  wonderful  regularity  and  beauty.  There  are  sev- 
eral sets  or  series  of  mesas,  as  it  were.  The  higher  mesas  are  covered 
with  a  great  thickness  of  basalt  with  vertical  sides,  the  basalt  breaking 
into  columnar  masses.  The  lower  mesas  seein  to  be  more  level  or  table- 
like, and  are  covered  thickly  with  fragments  of  basalt.  It  is  quite  possi- 
ble that  these  different  mesas  represent  different  levels  of  the  surface, 
prior  to  the  outpouring  of  the  fluid  material.  Between  Sweetwater  Creek 
and  Ocate,  I  found  near  the  road  some  yellow  sandstones,  filled  with 
fragments  of  Ostrea,  which  I  think  belong  to  the  upper  part  of  No.  2. 

Near  Ocate,  the  peculiar  carving  out  of  the  valleys  by  erosion  is  seen, 
presenting  to  the  eye  the  most  beautiful  views  that  can  be  conceived 
of  in  the  natural  world.  They  seem  to  have  been  formed  by  the  hand 
of  art.  No  other  condition  of  the  surface  could  have  admitted  of  their 
existence.  The  fluid  material  seems  to  have  been  poured  out  over  the 
surface  in  one  continuous  and  almost  uniform  sheet  or  layer,  and  these 
valleys  are  thus  carved  out  of  the  mesas.  The  little  streams  cut  narrow 
channels  through  these  basaltic  plains,  sometimes  very  deep  and  often 
for  miles  without  a  bush  to  mark  the  water  course,  so  that  they  are  not 
observed  by  the  traveler  until  he  is  in  close  proximity  to  them. 

From  Ocate'  Creek  to  Fort  Union,  the  surface  is  covered  with  volcanic 
rocks,  many  of  which  are  so  porous  as  to  seem  like  pumice.  These  masses 
are  so  light  that  they  must  have  been  scattered  by  the  wind.  There  are 
great  numbers  of  hills  and  ridges  scattered  in  every  direction,  covered 
thickly  with  these  igneous  fragments. 


CHAPTEK  IV. 

FEOM  FOET  UNION  TO  MOEA. 

Through  the  kindness  of  Dr.  Peters,  United  States  Army,  the  surgeon 
of  Fort  Union,  I  made  a  short  journey  to  Mora  Valley,  about  eighteen 
miles  west  of  Fort  Union,  and  I  am  also  indebted  very  much  to  him  for 
his  knowledge  of  this  country. 


SURVEY   OF    COLORADO-  AND   NEW   MEXICO.  59 

About  due  west  of  the  fort  is  a  long  ridge  which  runs  nearly  north 
and  south,  and  is  underlaid  by  the  quartzose  sandstones  of  No.  1.  This 
ridge  ia  cut  through  in  every  direction  by  dry  creeks,  which  show  that 
the  strata  are  quite  horizontal.  The  plateau  or  mesa-like  summit  is 
about  five  miles  across,  when  we  descend  into  a  park-like  area  eroded 
out  of  the  brick-red  beds  in  the  Cayote  Valley.  The  rocks  of  the  plateau 
are  here  seen  to  incline  east  from  five  to  ten  degrees,  just  revealing  the 
upper  portion  of  the  brick-red  beds.  This  valley  is  about  three  miles 
wide  and  perhaps  five  to  ten  miles  in  length,  and  at  the  south  end  the  creek 
cuts  through  the  cretaceous  plateau,  forming  a  narrow  gorge.  On  the 
west  side  we  have  the  red  upheaved  ridge  well  shown,  and  all  through 
the  valley  are  fragments  of  low  ridges  inclining  at  moderate  angles. 
Between  the  little  branches  of  the  creek  and  all  around  the  borders  of 
the  valley  are  well  defined  terraces.  This  valley  or  park  is  beautifully 
grassed  over,  and  the  benches  or  terraces  are  as  smoothly  rounded  off 
as  they  well  can  be.  The  surface  is  covered  with  water- worn  bowlders 
and  drift.  On  the  west  side  of  this  valley  the  road  passes  through  the  gorge 
of  the  Mora  Creek,  and  for  nearly  ten  miles  we  travel  across  the  upturned 
edges  of  the  sedimentary  rocks.  There  seem  to  be  here  two  well  defined 
series  of  red  sandstones;  the  upper  series  we  have  described  as  under- 
lying the  park-like  valley  of  the  Cayote  Creek,  about  three  miles  wide, 
and  separated  by  lofty  ridges  of  yellowish,  gray  sandstone  on  the  east 
side;  and  then,  west  of  the  gorge,  a  second  series  of  rather  dull 
purplish  or  dull  brick-red  sandstones,  all  inclining  in  the  same  direction 
but  at  different  angles.  The  low  ridges  of  the  upper  series  of  red  beds 
incline  west  fifteen,  twenty,  and  thirty  degrees.  The  highest  ridge  is 
composed  of  the  yellowish  gray  sandstone  that  separates  the  two  series 
of  red  beds,  and  is  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  and  inclines 
thirty-three  degrees. 

Passing  up  the  valley  of  the  Mora  the  sandstones  are  of  all  colors  and 
textures,  some  of  the  ridges  very  fine,  compact ;  others  coarse-grained, 
and  yielding  readily  to  atmospheric  influences ;  others  composed  of  an 
aggregate  of  particles  of  quartz  and  small  water- worn  pebbles.  Among 
the  pebbly  sandstones  there  is  a  thin  layer,  perhaps  a  foot  thick,  of  an 
ashen-gray  brittle  limestone.  This  second  or  lower  series  of  reddish 
sandstones  extends  nearly  two  miles,  dipping  fifty  to  sixty  degrees;  in 
a  few  cases  nearly  vertical.  The  intervals  between  these  ridges,  which 
are  usually  from  ten  to  one  hundred  yards  wide,  are  grassed  over  and 
sometimes  reveal  the  fact  that  they  are  underlaid  by  soft  shale.  Neither 
in  the  first  or  second  series  of  red  beds  was  I  able  to  detect  any  organic 
remains. 

Within  about  three  miles  of  Mora  Valley  we  come  to  a  series  of  alter- 
nate ridges  of  sandstones,  limestones,  and  shales,  inclining  forty  to  fifty 
degrees.  The  first  bed  of  limestone  is  full  of  fossil  shells,  Productus, 
several  species,  Spirifera  subtilita,  8.  triplicata,  &c.  Then  comes  a  bed 
of  micaceous  sandstone,  full  of  vegetable  impressions  of  the  genus 
Calamites,  and  large  fruits  or  nuts.  These  beds  incline  sixty-five  degrees. 
After  this  comes  a  coarse  reddish  sandstone,  an  aggregate  of  particles 
of  quartz  and  worn  pebbles,  most  of  it  a  fine  pudding-stone.  Then  comes 
about  three  hundred  feet  of  reddish  sandstone,  then  cherty  limestone, 
with  Productus,  Spirifera,  and  other  species  of  true  carboniferous  types. 
Alternate  beds  of  sandstone,  limestone,  and  shale  continue  nearly  to  the 
Mora  Valley — the  beds  of  sandstone  forming  about  nine-tenths  of  the 
thickness.  From  Fort  Union  to  Mora,  eighteen  miles,  we  pass  directly 
west,  at  right  angles,  to  the  mountain  ranges,  and  over  the  upturned  edges 
of  the  sedimentary  beds  from  the  lower  cretaceous  to  the  metamorphic 


60  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

rocks.  The  sedimentary  rocks  all  incline  in  the  same  direction,  at  various 
angles,  from  five  to  seven  degrees.  I  cannot  see  that  in  this  vast  series  of 
ridges,  any  beds  have  been  repeated,  and,  therefore,  there  must  be  exposed 
here  in  a  curiously  consecutive  manner  from  eight  thousand  to  ten  thou- 
sand feet,  at  least,  of  sedimentary  rocks.  The  junction  of  the  unchanged 
rocks  with  the  gneissic  beds  is  rather  obscure,  but  a  bed  of  limestone 
seems  to  incline  against  them.  From  my  observations  from  Las  Vegas 
to  Santa  Fe,  I  am  satisfied  that  all  along  the  mountains  the  carboniferous 
limestones  rest  directly  on  the  granitic  rocks.  The  valley  of  the  Mora, 
in  which  the  town  of  that  name  is  situated,  is  one  of  the  most  fertile 
and  beautiful  that  I  have  ever  seen  in  the  West.  It  is  almost  entirely 
surrounded  by  mountain  ranges,  and  in  the  aggregate  it  forms  a  high 
quaquaversal — that  is,  the  rocks  seem  to  incline  from  all  directions 
toward  a  common  central  point.  It  is  about  ten  miles  long  from  east 
to  west,  and  two  miles  wide  from  north  to  south.  It  is  in  the  form  of  a 
cross.  At  the  east  side  is  a  long  valley  extending  five  miles  or  more 
in  each  direction  north  and  south  from  it.  Either  one  of  these  valleys, 
taken  separately,  would  form  a  synclinal.  The  whole  valley  is  in  part 
worn  out  of  the  gneissic  rocks.  Mora  Creek  runs  directly  through  it 
and  every  acre  of  it  is  under  cultivation,  and  with  the  rude  Mexican 
style  of  farming,  produces  most  abundant  crops. 

All  around  this  valley  the  slopes  of  the  mountains  show  clearly  that 
the  metamorphic  rocks  incline  from  it  at  very  high  angles;  and  all 
around  the  borders  are  foot-hills  or  low  ridges,  the  remnants  that  are 
left  after  erosion,  which  show  distinctly  the  direction  of  the  dip.  But 
the  series  of  gneissic  beds  on  the  east  side  of  the  valley  are  very  interest- 
ing, consisting  of  alternate  beds  of  black  banded  gneiss,  and  a  coarse 
aggregate  of  feldspar  and  quartz.  Some  of  the  beds  are  composed  of 
mottled  gneiss.  These  beds  all  incline  to  the  west  or  northwest,  at  various 
angles  from  twenty  degrees  to  thirty  degrees.  This  series  of  gneissic 
strata  extends  nearly  half  a  *mile,  and  is  plainly  a  remnant  left  after 
erosion.  They  incline  in  an  opposite  direction  to  the  unchanged  rocks — 
that  is,  there  is  no  conformity.  This  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  points 
on  our  route  in  a  geological  point  of  view,  and  I  regretted  very  much 
that  I  could  not  remain  a  longer  time. 

About  northeast  from  Fort  CJnion  there  is  a  small  range  of  mountains 
•  of  some  interest,  called  Turkey  Hills.  They  seem  to  form  a  regular  up- 
heaval with  a  line  of  fracture  nearly  northwest  and  southeast,  and  appar- 
ently independent  of  the  volcanic  forces  that  have  once  operated  all  around 
it.  This  mountain  is  well  covered  with  timber,  and  the  highest  points  rise 
fifteen  hundred  to  two  thousand  feet 'above  the  level  of  the  plain  at  Fort 
Union.  Entering  the  mountains  nearly  north  of  the  fort,  we  pass  up  a  sort 
of  anticlinal  valley;  the  beds  inclining  in  each  direction  at  a  small  angle* 
Kone  but  the  lower  cretaceous  sandstones  and  a  portion  of  the  upper 
series  of  red-beds  are  exposed  anywhere  in  this  range,  which  is  about 
twenty-five  miles  long  and  ten  miles  wide.  Among  the  red-beds  are  two 
or  three  layers  of  bluish  limestone,  and  underneath  the  cretaceous  is  a 
bed  of  fine-grained  whitish  sandstone,  which  I  am  inclined  to  regard  as 
Jurassic.  From  the  summits  of  these  mountains  we  can  see  the  Spanish 
Peaks,  Raton  Mountains,  and,  indeed,  the  whole  country  round  about 
for  a  radius  of  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  About  nine 
miles  east  of  Fort  Union  there  is  an  old  volcanic  crater  of  great  interest. 
This  is  the,  nearest  approach  to  recent  volcanic  indications  that  I  have 
ever  seen,*  or  known  on  the  east  side  of  the  mountains.  The  rim  of 
the  crater  is  circular  and  well  defined,  though  the  depression  is  very 
shallow.  Yet,  as  we  ascended  the  high  volcanic  mountain,  we  found  the 


SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND    NEW   MEXICO.  61 

sides  covered  with  masses  of  rough  basalt,  so  much  so  as  to  render  travel- 
ing difficult  and  very  laborious.  But  inside  of  this  crater  there  is 
scarcely  a  rock  to  be  seen,  and  the  slightly  concave  surface  is  thickly 
grassed  over.  The  immediate  sides  of  this  mountain  all  around  are  covered 
with  longitudinal  ridges  of  the  rock  which  was  evidently  poured  out  of 
the  crater  and  ran  down  the  sides.  The  circular  crater  is  about  fifty 
yards  in  diameter,  and  is  now  filled  up  with  earth.  This  rounded  moun- 
tain must  have  been  built  up  by  the  continued  overflow  of  melted  rock, 
and  at  this  time  its  summit  is  at  least  twelve  hundred  to  fifteen  hundred 
feet  above  Fort  Union.  In  the  vicinity  are  what  seemed  to  be  rifts, 
which  have  now  formed  valleys  or  gulches,  and  on  each  side  of  which 
are  thick  borders  or  walls  of  the  basalt. 

About  fifteen  miles  north  of  Fort  Union  there  is  another  of  these  cra- 
ters which  has  attracted  attention.  The  depression  is  about  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  deep  and  five  hundred  yards  in  diameter,  and  the  rim 
is  broken  away  on  the  north  side.  The  borders  of  the  crater  are  elevated 
about  twelve  hundred  feet  above  the  fort.  This  vast  mountain  mass 
must  be  the  accumulation  of  the  outpoured  melted  rocks.  All  over  the 
sides  are  immense  ridges  or  banks,  as  it  were,  of  the  melted  rock  which 
has  flowed  out  of  the  crater.  The  summit  is  covered  with  lava,  some  of  it 
black  and  some  of  it  of  a  red  color,  but  very  porous  and  light,  like  pumice, 
so  that  the  wind  has  distributed  great  quantities  for  a  long  distance  over 
the  plains  below.  This  melted  material  has  been  poured  out  over  the  cre- 
taceous beds,  often  concealing  them  over  large  areas,  i  am  convinced  that 
at  one  period  a  very  large  portion  of  this  country  was  covered  with  these  cra- 
ters, but  none  of  them  seem  now  to  be  so  well  defined  as  those  described. 

About  four  miles  north  of  the  fort  is  a  mesa  capped  with  basalt,  which 
is  underlaid  by  cretaceous  rocks.  Sometimes  the  basalt  is  worn  away 
over  large  areas,  uncovering  the  rocks  below.  The  mesa  is  about  three 
hundred  feet  above  the  fort.  The  valley  in  which  Fort  Union  is  located 
is  a  very  beautiful  one,  and  is  plainly  carved  out  of  the  cretaceous 
plateau.  On  the  west  side  the  abrupt  walls  can  be  seen  for  miles,  but  on 
the  east  the  ascent  up  to  the  foot  of  the  tertiary  mountains  is  gradual, 
though  here  and  there  the  cretaceous  rocks  crop  out. 

Before  closing  this  chapter  I  wish  to  offer  my  most  cordial  thanks  to 
the  officers  of  Fort  Union,  for  courtesies  and  aid  which  enabled  me  to 
perform  the  work  of  a  month  in  a  few  days.  Under  the  intelligent 
guidance  of  Captain  W.  E.  Shoemaker,  I  spent  two  most  profitable  days 
examining  the  country  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Union,  and  with  Dr.  D.  0. 
Peters,  United  States  Army,  visited  the  beautiful  Mora  Valley.  The 
entire  party  were  the  recipients  of  favors  at  this  post,  which  showed 
more  clearly  than  I  can  express  it  in  words  the  deep  interest  which  the 
officers  of  the  army  everywhere  take  in  the  development  of  the  material 
interests  of  that  portion  of  the  West  where  they  are  stationed.  We  could 
also  measure  the  amount  of  life  in  the  citizens  of  any  tosvn  we  visited,  by 
the  interest  they  took  in  our  efforts  to  study  the  resources  of  the  country. 
Mr.  C.  W.  Kitchen,  especially,  and  the  citizens  of  Las  Vegas  generally, 
extended  every  attention  to  us  in  their  power,  and  I  am  convinced  that 
at  no  distant  day  this  must  be  the  most  pleasant  and  prosperous  town  in 
New  Mexico. 


62  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

CHAPTER  Y. 

FROM  FORT  UNION  TO   SANTA  FE\ 

We  left  the  hospitable  post  of  Fort  Union  with  regret  and  pur- 
sued our  way  southward  towards  Las  Vegas.  The  first  eight  miles  we 
passed  over  quartzose  sandstones  of  No.  1,  and  then  appeared  above 
them  a  hard  bluish  limestone,  which  belongs  to  No.  2.  The  sandstones 
o  :  No.  1  gradually  disappear,  and  the  limestones  take  their  place. 
Several  species  of  Inoceramiis  occur,  and  Mrs.  General  Grier  has  in  her 
possession  an  Ammonites  that  came  from  this  region,  which  is  tubercu- 
lated  like  A.pcrearinatus.  All  the  way  to  Las  Vegas  we  have  a  fine  view 
of  the  country  along  the  base  of  the  mountains.  The  exposures  of  the 
sedimentary  rocks  are  wonderful  in  their  extent  along  the  eastern  base  of 
the  mountains,  from  Fort  Union  to  the  point  below  Santa  F£,  where  the 
range  passes  out  and  is  lost  in  the  plains.  The  belt  of  upheaved  ridges 
is  from  four  to  eight  miles  wide.  All  around  Las  Vegas,  in  the  plains, 
the  blue  limestones,  passing  up  into  an  enormous  thickness  of  the  black 
shales  of  No.  2,  is  everywhere  seen.  The  little  streams  cut  deep  chan- 
nels through  it. 

The  finest  section  of  the  sedimentary  rocks  of  this  region,  that  I  have 
ever  seen,  may  be  found  between  Las  Vegas  and  the  Hot  Springs,  on 
Gallinas  Creek.  The  beds  from  the  metamorphic  to  the  cretaceous, 
inclusive,  are  so  regularly  and  clearly  exposed  along  this  creek  that  it  is 
not  possible  to  mistake  their  continuity,  and  I  would  call  the  attention 
of  all  travelers  visiting  this  country,  who  have  any  interest  in  the 
geology,  to  it. 

The  Hot  Springs,  which  have  already  become  so  celebrated  for  their 
supposed  curative  qualities  in  certain  diseases,  are  located  about  five 
miles  northwest  of  Las  Vegas,  just  at  the  junction  of  the  carboniferous 
and  the  gneissic  rocks.  The  lowest  spring  issues  from  the  granite  just 
underneath  a  mass  of  limestone.  The  bed  of  limestone  that  rests  directly 
on  the  granites  is  quite  hard  and  cherty,  with  a  dip  nearly  southeast  40° 
to  45°.  The  metamorphic  rocks  below  are  rotten  gneiss.  From  this  point 
outward  towards  the  plains  I  made  the  following  section,  passing  over 
the  upturned  edges  as  they  were  exposed  with  wonderful  clearness  and 
consecutiveness  to  the  eye : 

1.  Hard  grayish  cherty  limestone,  resting,  directly  on  the  gneiss. 

2.  Micaceous  sandstone  full  of  iron,  partly  a  very  micaceous  rotten 
shale. 

3.  Yellow  limestone  with  less  chert,  excellent  for  lime,  containing 
Productus,  two  or  three  species,  Spirifera  subtUita.    Between  the  beds  of 
limestone,  that  vary  from  four  to  twenty  feet  thick,  are  two  beds  of 
rusty  clay,  each  four  to  six  feet  thick,  the  whole  dipping  50°. 

4.  Black   shale   with  thin  layers  of  a  sort  of  arenaceous  mud,  from 
one-quarter  of  an  inch  to  four  inches  in  thickness. 

5.  Limestones  with  Productus,  Spirifera,  corals  and  crinoidal  stems,  pass- 
in  gup  into  a  very  cherty  limestone,  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  thick; 
dip  60°  to  75°.    Among  the  layers  of  limestone  are  thin  seams  of  shale. 

6.  Grayish  brown  arenaceous  limestone  passing  up  into  a  somewhat 
micaceous  sandstone — 30  feet. 

7.  Variegated  greenish,  reddish,  ashen,  and  yellowish  shaly  clays — 
20  feet, 

8.  Variegated  sands  and  sandstones  of  all  degrees  of  fineness.    The 
prevailing  color  red,  varying  from  bright  brick-red  to  purple,  with  some 


SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND   NEW   MEXICO.  63 

whitish,  yellowish,  &c.;  dip  45°  to  55° ;  thickness  two  hundred  and 
thirty-five  feet. 

9.  Rather  fine  grained  grayish  sandstone.    This  bed  has  passed  a 
vertical  position  so  that  the  dip  is  southwest  75°  ;  thickness  fifty  feet. 

10.  Variegated  sands,  light  brick-red,   dull  purple,  reddish  brown 
and  light  gray.    The  dull  purplish  sands,  ten  feet  thick,  are  amygdaloidal, 
full  of  almond- shaped  nodules  and  cavities. 

10.  Alternate  beds  of  light  yellowish,  grayish  sandstones,  and  arena- 
ceous shales,  very  much  variegated.  1st.  Sandstones,  fifty  feet;  2d. 
Variegated  arenaceous  shaley  clays,  sixty  feet ;  3d.  A  curious  wall  of 
sandstone  which  forms  a  conspicuous  point  by  turning  the  current  of 
the  creek  at  a  right  angle  and  running  across,  in  a  nearly  vertical  posi- 
tion, but  having  the  natural  dip  northeast ;  dip  85°.  This  curious  wall 
will  always  be  noticed  by  travelers.  It  passes  up  gradually  into  the 
variegated  sandy  shales  or  laminated  sandstones  that  form  No.  12. 

12.  Among  these  laminated  sandstones  is   a  sort  of  silicious  mud 
layer  that  is  filled  with  the  casts  of  a  species  of  Mytilus,  which  leads  me 
to  suspect  them  to  be  j  urassic.    There  is  also  a  layer  filled  with  fragments 
of  fossils — a  saurian  tooth,  &c.    The  beds  continue  with  a  reddish  tinge 
varying  from  a  greenish  brown  to  a  duU  purplish  tint,  with  every  degree 
of  texture.     Some  of  the  layers  of  laminated  sandstone  are  a  light  ashen 
gray,  some  of  nodular  and  pebbly  sandstone,  also  with  a  tendency  to 
lamination — 300  feet. 

13.  A  rather  massive  gray  sandstone,  some  portions  amygdaloidal 
or  nodular,  some  fine  grained  and  some  slightly  calcareous.     Some  of  it 
is  good  for  building  purposes,  flagging  stones,  &c.    Two  layers  of  ashen 
gray  clay — first  six  feet,  second  three  feet. 

14.  Very  dull  purplish  clays,  with  some  harder  layers  of  sandstone, 
thin,  of  an  ashen  gray — 30  feet. 

15.  Like  bed  13,  only  more  laminated,  portions  massive  and  fine; 
some  layers  a  rusty  yellow,  with  impressions  of  woody  stems  and  trunks, 
not  jointed  but  ribbed  (!) ;  passing  into  a  dull  purplish  red  massive 
sandstone,  with  a  very  irregular  laminae  of  deposition,  some  of  it  pebbly 
and  nodular— 200  feet  to  300  feet. 

16.  Reddish  laminated  shale,  with  some  greenish   or  ashen   spots, 
some  nodules,  but  slightly  variegated  with  seams  of  fibrous  gypsum  fol- 
lowing cleavage — 300  feet. 

17.  Yellowish  gray,  rather  fine   grained,  massive    sandstone;    por- 
tions of  it  with  a  reddish  tinge ;  cleavage  joints  shown  well — 100  feet. 

18.  Reddish  brown  shales  slightly  gypsiferous — 25  feet. 

19.  Massive  sandstone,  like  17 ;  dip  75°  to  80° — 100  feet. 

20.  Very  dull  purplish  drab,  somewhat  nodular,  arenaceous  clays  with 
some  hard  layers  of  sandstone,  mostly  dark  brown,  and  very  variable 
in  texture.    This  bed  belongs  to  the  lower  cretaceous,  or  is  a  bed  of  pas- 
sage—200  to  300  feet. 

21.  The  sandstone  "  hog-back,"  regarded  as  lower  cretaceous  No.  1. 
A  very  conspicuous  formation  in  this  region.    A  portion  of  No.  1  stands 
quite  vertical,  while  other  portions  incline  from  60°  to  80°.     It  is  in  part 
a  coarse  sandstone  and  fine  aggregation  of  pebbles,  passing  up  into  a 
fine  grained  whitish  sandstone,  two  hundred  feet  thick,  passing  to  a  series 
of  alternate  thin  layers  of  dark  laminated  clay  and  mud  sandstones, 
with  all  sorts  of  markings,  indicative  of  shallow  water,  mud  flats,  &c. 
The  dip  of  some  of  the  layers  passes  a  vertical  at  the  top. 

22.  Then  come  the  dark  clays  of  No.  2,  slightly  arenaceous  at  first, 
passing  up  into  black  shales,  then  into  the  blue  marly  limestone  with  an 
abundance,  of  Inoceramw.    Some  of  the  layers  of  blue  limestone  have 


64  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

passed  a  vertical  position,  30°  to  40°.  No  line  of  demarcation  can  be 
found  between^  he  divisions  of  the  cretaceous.  They  all  pass  into  each 
other  imperceptibly. 

The  cretaceous  beds  are  well  shown,  No.  2  continuing  up  into  blue  marly 
limestone,  which  maybe  regarded  as  No.  3;  this  passing  up  into  the  dark 
shales  of  No.  4,  which  gradually  passes  up  into  a  rusty  yellow  clay  with 
numerous  calcareous  concretions  with  Ostrea,  Baculites,  &c.  This  bed 
contains  calcareous  sandstones  filled  with  a  small  Turritella  and  bi- 
valves. The  cretaceous  rocks  of  this  region  are  best  divided  into  upper 
and  lower  cretaceous.  These  beds  become  suddenlyhorizontal  in  the  plains, 
but  the  conformity  is  complete.  The  conformity  of  the  entire  series  of 
the  sedimentary  beds  is  more  perfect  than  I  have  seen  it  at  any  other 
locality  in  the  West.  Here,  for  the  first  time,  I  notice  the  two  sets  of  red 
beds  mentioned  by  Dr.  Newberry,  in  his  report  of  the  Colorado  River. 
They  are  well  defined.  The  cretaceous  beds  are  well  marked.  In  the 
section,  from  beds  11  to  19  inclusive,  I  am  inclined  to  regard  as  Jurassic; 
the  second  series  of  reddish  beds,  as  triassic ;  then  some  reddish  per- 
mianf?)  sandstones,  passing  down  into  the  carboniferous. 

Above  the  springs  there  is  an  extensive  series  of  gneissoid  rocks,  in- 
clining northwest.  The  changed  and  unchanged  beds  do  not  conform. 
These  gneissic  rocks  vary  much  in  texture  and  color.  The  dominant 
constituents  are  reddish  feldspar  and  quartz,  but  there  are  thick  beds  of 
the  banded  gneiss.  For  about  two  miles  up  the  Gallinas  Creek,  above 
the  springs,  these  rocks  rise  up  in  grand  mountain  masses,  nearly  ver- 
tical, and  then  for  ten  miles  or  more  we  find  the  limestones,  sandstones, 
and  shales  of  the  carboniferous,  resting  in  a  nearly  horizontal  position 
over  the  vertical  edges  of  the  gneiss.  About  four  miles  above  the  springs 
I  found  two  distinct  species  of  lepidodendroii  in  sandstone,  one  of  them 
twelve  feet  long.  They  leave  a  cast  in  the  sandstone  perfectly  round. 
Still  further  up  the  creek  we  see  the  limestone  resting  directly  on  the 
gneiss  for  half  a  mile.  Usually  these  beds  are  so  covered  by  debris 
that  they  are  obscured.  As  we  pass  up  the  creek  the  carboniferous  beds 
come  down  to  the  water's  edge.  Three  beds  of  limestone,  from  ten  to 
thirty  feet  thick,  are  exposed  on  the  sides  of  the  hill. 

About  eight  miles  above  the  springs  the  valley  expands  out,  and  the 
gueissic  and  basaltic  rocks  form  the  lower  mountain  ridges.  At  the 
head  of  the  valley  there  is  a  very  striking  basaltic  mountain,  with  nearly 
perpendicular  sides,  which  forms  a  land-mark  in  this  region. 

The  hot  springs  are  most  beautifully  located  in  the  valley  of  Galliuas 
Creek,  just  as  it  emerges  from  the  mountains  on  the  south  side.  The 
springs  are  twenty  or  thirty  in  number,  and  some  of  them  are  quite 
large.  They  vary  in  temperature  from  80°  to  140°.  The  spring  from 
which  the  water  is  taken  for  the  bath  is  quite  hot,  at  least  140°.  The 
supply  is  YeiT  abundant,  enough  to  meet  the  demand  for  all  time  to  come. 
There  is  no  deposit  aboiit  the  spring,  and  the  water  is  as  clear  as  crystal. 
It  was  analyzed  by  Mr.  Frazer,  and  found  to  contain  carbonate  of  soda, 
carbonate  of  potash,  and  chloride  of  sodium,  the  potash  in  excess. 

It  will  be  seen  at  once  upon  what  its  medicinal  qualities  depend. 
Every  day  in  the  week  all  the  springs  are  occupied  by  women,  in  washing 
clothes.  The  water  makes  most  excellent  suds,  and  the  ease  with  "which 
the  dirt  is  extracted  from  the  clothes  renders  these  springs  great  favor- 
ites. There  is  every  facility  for  the  proprietors  to  establish  a  place  of 
resort  for  invalids  and  pleasure-seekers,  when  there  shall  be  a  sufficient 
demand. 

West  of  the  town  of  Vegas  there  is  an  almost  vertical  wall  of  creta- 
ceous sandstone,  running  nearly  north  and  south.  Passing  south  along 


SURVEY    OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO.  65 

the  east  side  of  this  wall  about  five  miles  below  Vegas,  we  enter  the 
hills  through  a  gorge  in  this  sandstone,  called  the  Puerto  cito  del  Padre. 
West  of  this  we  can  see  the  complete  series  of  the  sedimentary  beds  in 
the  form  of  upheaved  ridges,  rising  like  steps  to  the  main  mountain 
range.  Our  course  to  Santa  Fe  was  nearly  south,  through  a  very  rugged 
country ;  the  formations  thrown  up  into  lofty  ridges.  In  a  few  miles 
we  came  out  into  open  valleys  quite  broad,  and  nearly  all  the  beds  are 
older  than  the  cretaceous,  and  nearly  horizontal  in  their  position,  and  the 
valleys  have  been  carved  out  of  the  Jurassic  and  triassic  beds;  the 
very  singular  castellated  hills  on  the  left  looking  much  like  mesas,  cap- 
ped with  sandstone,  probably  cretaceous  in  part,  showing  the  red  beds 
beneath.  Sometimes  the  entire  series  of  red  beds  are  clearly  shown,  and 
even  the  carboniferous  limestones  are  well  exposed,  but  the  Gallinas 
section  is  so  complete  that  I  need  not  repeat  it  here.  On  the  San  Jose 
Creek  and  the  Kio  Pecos  are  some  fine  exposures  of  the  triassic  rocks, 
showing  their  peculiar  features  and  their  variable  texture.  The  prevail- 
ing color  of  the  upper  series  of  variegated  beds  is  brick  red,  and  that  of 
the  lower,  or  supposed  triassic,  is  dull  purplish.  Close  to  the  village  of 
San  Jose  the  beds  are  all  nearly  horizontal.  The  high  hills  around 
retain  their  mesa-like  form.  Nearly  all  the  way  to  Apache  Caflon,  on 
the  crossing  of  the  mountain,  the  road  runs  along  a  valley  with  a  lofty 
ridge  or  "hog-back"  on  one  (the  east)  side,  which  forms  a  sort  of  outer 
wall  and  a  conspicuous  feature.  The  upper  series  of  red  beds  are  well 
shown,  and  a  portion  of  the  second  series,  but  the  bed  of  sandstone 
which  caps  the  ridge,  I  am  inclined  to  regard  as  a  part  of  the  Jurassic 
group.  At  any  rate  I  have  not  been  accustomed  to  include  these  yel- 
lowish-gray, fine-grained  sandstones  among  the  cretaceous  beds.  The 
ridge  of  sandstone  which  forms  the  outer  wall  at  Vegas  must  still  con- 
tinue outside  of  this  ridge. 

In  the  lower  red  series  are  beds  of  gypsum.  I  saw  gypsum  at  a  num- 
ber of  localities  on  our  route.  At  Vegas,  it  is  used  for  building  purposes. 

I  was  informed  that  a  coal  mine  had  been  found  near  Tecalope,  and 
that  the  coal  had  been  used  for  blacksinithing,  but  I  saw  no  rocks  that 
could  possibly  contain  coal,  on  my  route,  and  think  that  it  was  a  mis- 
take. A  copper  mine  has  been  wrought  with  some  success  near  San 
Miguel  in  the  triassic  beds.  I  did  not  examine  it.  Near  Pecos  Creek,  all 
the  rocks  seem  to  be  in  contact,  from  the  light-colored  sandstones,  that  cap 
the  mesa,  to  the  carboniferous.  All  the  beds  dip  a  little  from  the  main 
range,  and  this  inclination  increases  as  we  approach  the  mountains. 
The  width  of  the  belt  of  upheaved  sedimentary  rocks,  from  Vegas  to  the 
southern  point  of  the  mountains  north  of  Gallisteo  Creek,  must  average 
twenty  to  thirty  miles,  and  the  opportunities  for  studying  them,  in  their 
order  of  sequence,  is  excellent. 

At  Payaritos  Springs  station,  there  is  a  splendid  exhibition  of  the 
different  groups  of  strata,  as  we  have  seen  them  since  leaving  Vegas. 
The  light-gray  sandstones  and  first  and  second  series  of  variegated  beds 
are  all  shown  in  their  order  for  six  hundred  to  eight  hundred  feet. 

About  six  miles  north  of  the  old  Pecos  church,  there  is  a  bed  of  com- 
pact reddish  limestone,  full  of  fossils,  which  I  am  inclined  to  regard  as 
permian,  containing  fossils  Myalin-a-j  Mytilus,  Plcuropliorus,  and  crinoidal 
stems.  This  limestone  belongs  to  the  lowest  portion  of  the  second  series 
of  red  beds.  I  would  just  remark  here,  that  I  am  inclined  to  the  belief 
that  in  the  mesa,  which  looks  so  conspicuous  on  our  left,  on  the  road  to 
Santa  F6,  we  have  the  first  series  of  variegated  beds,  or  Jurassic,  including 
the  fine-grained  sandstones  that  cap  them;  and  the  second  series,  triassic; 


66         SURVEY  OF  COLORADO  AND  NEW  MEXICO. 

and  that  the  remaining  sedimentary  beds  are  composed  of  carboniferous 
and  possibly  some  permian  exists  in  this  region. 

The  carboniferous  fossils  are  unmistakable,  and  I  think  1  have  collected 
some  per iniau -like  forms,  and  I  suspect  that  my  collections  will  furnish 
the  evidence  of  the  age  of  the  upper  series  of  red  beds  as  Jurassic. 
The  dip  of  all  these  beds  is  slight,  not  more  than  five  to  eight  degrees. 
From  the  old  Pecos  church  to  the  Apache  Canon,  we  pass  over  the  beds 
of  the  lower  red  series,  mostly  consisting  of  sandstones  and  fine  pudding- 
stones.  But  in  Apache  Canon,  we  have  a  good  exhibition  of  the  fine- 
grained, light-colored  sandstones,  which  have  capped  the  mesas  on  our 
left  for  thirty  miles  or  more.  So  far  as  I  could  determine,  this  sandstone 
does  not  belong  to  the  lower  cretaceous,  but  the  true  cretaceous  ridge  is 
still  further  east.  The  inclination  of  the  strata  in  Apache  Canon  is 
sometimes  twenty -five  degrees  southward. 

As  we  commenced  the  ascent  of  the  mountains  towards  Santa  Fe,  the 
surface  is  covered  with  a  remarkable  conglomerate,  a  paste  of  sand  and 
clay  holding  fast  unworn  masses  of  reddish  granite.  I  think  that  this 
is  a  modern  formation,  and  underneath  it  we  find  the  dull  purplish- 
brown  sandstones.  I  did  not  notice  the  carboniferous  limestones  on 
the  east  side  of  the  range,  but  do  not  doubt  that  they  exist  high  up  on 
the  mountain  sides.  From  the  summits  of  the  mountains  we  can  look  far 
south  ward.  All  the  ridges  of  upheaval  continue  southward  along  the 
flanks  of  the  mountains,  and  soon  run  out  in  the  plain,  and  the  moun- 
tains slope  down  to  the  prairie  about  twenty  miles  south  of  Santa  Fe. 

About  thirteen  miles  before  reaching  Santa  Fe*,  we  come  to  the  gneis- 
soid  rocks,  and  they  continue  nearly  to  that  place.  They  seem  to  dip 
with  the  sedimentary  rocks  on  each  side,  only  at  a  higher  angle.  This 
mountain  forms  a  regular  anticlinal.  On  the  flanks  of  the  mountains, 
(west  side,)  there  is  quite  a  thick  deposit  of  yellow  and  light  flesh-colored 
marls  and  sands  extending  westward  toward  the  head  of  the  Eio  Grande, 
and  beyond.  The  mountains  themselves  seem  to  be  quite  peculiar,  in 
being  composed  of  an  aggregate  of  cone-like  peaks  of  very  variable 
heights.  They  seem  to  be  entirely  composed  of  gneissoid  rocks. 


CHAPTER  YI. 
FROM  SANTA  FE"  TO  PLACIERE  MOUNTAINS  AND  RETURN. 

From  Santa  Fe  to  the  banks  of  the  Gallisteo  Creek,  eighteen  miles, 
we  pass  over  the  recent  marls  and  sands  which  seem  to  occupy  the 
greater  portion  of  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  above  and  below  Santa 
Fe,  which  I  have  called  Santa  F6  marls.  These  are  mostly  of  a  light 
cream-color,  sometimes  rusty  yellow,  and  sometimes  yellowish  white, 
with  layers  of  sandstones,  varying  in  texture  from  a- very  fine  aggregate 
of  quartz  to  a  moderately  coarse  pudding-stone.  These  marls  and  sands 
weather  into  unique  forms  north  of  Santa  Fe,  like  the  "  bad  lands"  or 
"  Mauvais  Terres  n  of  Dakota.  As  we  descend  the  hiU  into  the  valley  of 
the  Gallistee  Creek,  we  have  a  wonderful  exhibition  of  the  variegated 
sands  and  sandstones,  which  at  first  appear  like  the  upper  series  of  red 
beds  on  the  ^east  side  of  the  mountains,  but  which  I  at  once  suspected 
were  new  to  me  in  this  region.  Descending  the  Gallisteo,  to  the  west  or 
lower  end  of  the  Cerillos,  we  find  the  full  series  of  the  cretaceous  beds, 
with  Ostrea  eongesta,  0.  larva,  Inoceramus — several  species,  and  fragments 
of  fish  remains.  Extending  east  and  west  along  the  south  side  of  the 


SURVEY    OF    COLORADO   AND    NEW   MEXICO.  67 

Cerillos  is  a  high  wall-like  dike,  and  dipping  southward  from  this,  from 
the  Placiere  Mountain,  is  a  great  thickness  of  the  cretaceous  shales  No. 
2,  passing  up  into  laminated  arenaceous  shales,  with  fossils,  then  the 
dark  shales  of  No.  4,  apparently.  The  cretaceous  beds  incline  thirty 
degrees  to  fifty  degrees.  Inclining  at  a  less  angle,  a  series  of  coal  strata 
reveal  their  upturned  edges,  conforming  perfectly  to  the  cretaceous  beds. 
Passing  up  the  Gallisteo,  eastward,  we  observed  the  variegated  sands 
and  sandstones,  rising  above  the  coal  strata,  and  concealing  them  on  the 
northeast  and  east  flanks  of  the  Placiere  Mountain,  inclining  at  all  angles 
from  five  degrees  to  fifty  degrees.  These  sandstones  are  of  varied  text- 
ure, from  a  fine  aggregate  of  quartz  particles  to  a  rather  coarse  pudding- 
stone.  In  some  of  the  beds  there  are  irregular  layers,  of  a  dull,  rusty 
brown,  concretionary  arenaceous  limestone,  in  which  I  searched  in  vain 
for  fossils.  One  of  the  most  peculiar  features  of  these  beds,  and  one 
which  I  have  never  seen  in  any  group  before,  is  the  great  variety  of 
colors,  from  a  light  reddish  tint  to  a  deep  brick  red,  sometimes  dull  pur- 
plish light,  and  very  deep  yellow,  white,  brown,  drab,  &c.  The  only 
fossils  I  could  find  were  enormous  silicified  trunks  of  trees.  One  of  them 
was  so  perfect  that  it  looked  much  like  a  recent  one,  with  a  cavity  run- 
ning through  it  ten  inches  in  diameter.  I  have  named  these  beds  the 
Gallisteo  sand  group,  as  they  are  confined,  so  far  as  I  know  at 
present,  to  the  valley  of  the  Gallisteo,  although  they  pass  under  the 
Santa  Fe  marls,  and  the  northern  limit  is  concealed  from  view.  Near 
the  road  is  a  small  dike,  apparently  thrust  up  between  beds  of  sand- 
stone, and  inclining  with  them.  East  of  the  Cerillos,  up  the  Gallisteo, 
among  the  upper  beds  of  that  group,  are  several  larger  dikes,  and  the 
'basaltic  rocks  are  poured  over  the  recent  tertiary  beds.  One  of  the 
dikes  can  be  seen  a  long  distance,  looking  like  a  ridge  of  upheaval,  ex- 
tending a  little  north  of  east,  far  across  the  plain  towards  the  south  end 
of  the  Santa  Fe  Mountains.  The  Cerillos  are  merely  a  dike,  or  a  series 
of  dikes,  forming  a  small  independent  range  of.  mountains  composed 
entirely  of  eruptive  rocks.  On  the  south  and  west  side,  the  cretaceous 
beds  flank  them  closely,  while  on  the  east  and  northeast  side  the  Santa 
Fe  marls  jut  up  against  them.  Occasionally,  on  the  east  side,  a  little 
stream  will  cut  through  the  marls,  revealing  the  sandstones  of  the  Gal- 
listeo group. 

The  outeroppings  of  coal  on  the  northwest  side  of  the  Placiere  Moun- 
tains are  of  great  interest.  They  were  firot  exposed  in  the  center  of  the 
little  branches  that  run  into  the  Gallisteo.  The  first  one  is  about  five 
miles  south  of  the  Gallisteo.  The  coal  is  in  the  natural  condition.  The 
following  section  of  the  strata  was  taken  ascending: 

1.  Laminated  clay,  with  thin  seams  of  sand  passing  up  into  carbona- 
ceous clay,  as  a  floor  for  coal. 

2.  Coal  very  compact.    The  cleavage  lines  are,  in  a  'ew  instances, 
filled  with  clay— 5  to  0  feet. 

3.  Drab  clay,  indurated,  15  to  29  feet. 

4.  Ferruginous    sandstone,  passing  up  into   a  light   grayish  sand- 
stone— 30  to  50  feet. 

The  lower  part  of  this  bed  is  full  of  deciduous  leaves.  The  debris  is 
so  great  that  the  real  character  of  the  beds  is  somewhat  obscured.  The 
impressions  of  leaves,  appear  to  belong  to  the  genera  Magnolia,  Pla- 
tanuSj  SaliXj  and  others,  some  of  which  appear  to  be  identical  with 
those  found  at  the  Katoii  Mountains.  Imperfect  specimens  of  a  paim 
were  found.  The  mine  is  opened  on  each  side  of  the  dry  creek,  and  the 
dip  is  the  same — about  ten  degrees.  As  in  all  the  rocks  of  the  country, 
there  are  in  the  coal  two  sets  of  cleavage  lines,  at  right  angles  to  the 


68  SUEVEY    OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

stratification.  In  the  valley  of  another  branch  of  the  Gallisteo,  there  is 
a  dike  two  feet  wide  with  the  strike  a  little  east  of  south.  The  clays  on 
each  side  are  metamorphosed  into  slates. 

At  another  locality  there  is  a  bed  of  coal,  which  has  been  changed  by 
an  enormous  dike  into  anthracite.  Section  1st,  clay-slate  ;  2d,  two  and  a 
half  to  three  feet  anthracite ;  3d,  fourteen  to  eighteen  inches  of  clay ;  4th, 
fourteen  inches  to  two  feet  of  anthracite ;  5th,  clay  shale,  passing  up  into 
alternate  layers  of  sandstone  and  clay,  ten  feet ;  6th,  dark  sandstone. 
The  dip  of  all  the  beds  is  fourteen  degrees  east.  They  are  overlaid  by 
a  thick  bed  of  columnar  basalt.  The  dike  that  covers  the  coal  bed 
trends  about  north  and  south,  or  a  little  east  of  south. 

The  influences  of  the  Cerillos  on  the  north  side  of  the  Gallisteo,  and  the 
Placiere  Mountains  on  the  south,  has  produced  a  beautiful  synclinal, 
while  the  Cerillos  form  a  sort  of  imperfect  quaquaversal.  The  beds 
dip  from  two  sides  of  this  small  range  at  least,  and  the  indications  in 
the  channels  of  the  little  streams  are,  that  the  sandstones  of  the  Gallisteo 
group  dip  from  a  third  side,  but  are  now  mostly  concealed.  We  have, 
therefore,  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  if  my  investigations  are  cor- 
rect, three  groups  of  tertiary  beds  of  different  ages.  1st.  The  coal  strata, 
with  abundant  impressions  of  deciduous  leaves,  lying  above  well-marked 
cretaceous  beds.  2d.  The  Gallisteo  sand  group,  which  plainly  overlies 
the  coal  strata,  but  inclines  equally  with  and  conforms  to  them.  3d.  The 
Santa  Fe  marls,  which  are  of  much  later  date  than  either  of  the  other 
two,  and  rest  unconformably  upon  the  Gallisteo  group,  and  never  incline 
more  than  five  or  ten  degrees. 

Although  the  coal  beds  lie  high  up  on  the  sides  of  the  Placiere  Mount- 
ains, I  am  inclined  to  the  belief  that  some  portions  of  the  cretaceous 
strata,  and  possibly  even  older  rocks,  are  revealed  on  the  sides  of  the 
gneissic  nucleus.  This  mountain  seems  to  be  penetrated  with  dikes, 
which  have  given  a  dark  somber  hue  to  all  the  rocks. 

The  mountain  itself  is  very  rich  in  minerals,  as  gold  and  iron  ore. 
The  Ortiz  mine  is  the  most  celebrated,  although  a  number  of  lodes  have 
been  opened.  Colonel  Anderson,  formerly  of  the  United  States  Army, 
is  superintendent  of  the  mining  interests  of  this  region,  and  he  has 
already  erected  a  forty-stamp  mill,  the  most  substantial  one  I  have  seen 
in  the  West.  The  Ortiz  lode  is  a  very  irregular  one.  It  expands  some- 
times twelve  feet  or  more,  and  then  nearly  closes  up.  It  has  yielded 
very  rich  ore  at  times;  mingled  with  this  ore  are  fluorspar,  calcspar, 
crystallized  quartz,  blue  and  green  carbonates  of  copper,  a  little  native 
copper,  and  the  sulphurets  of  iron  and  copper — the  latter  predominates 
in  the  ore. 

The  Brehm  lode  has  a  strike  about  northeast  and  southwest,  and  by  it 
I  suspect  the  dip  of  the  gneissic  rocks,  on  the  north  side  of  the  mount- 
ains, to  be  about  northwest.  The  width  of  the  lode  is  about  three  feet, 
the  inclination  of  the  vein  southeast  forty-five  degrees. 

The  Placiere  Mountain  seems  to  be  rich  in  gold,  but  the  want  of  water 
may  prevent  the  mines  from  being  wrought  with  great  profit.  The  sur- 
face of  the  country  is  literally  covered  with  placer  diggings,  where  the 
drift  gold  has  been  taken  out  by  the  Mexicans  in  oM  times  by  melting 
snow.  Magnetic  iron  ore  seems  to  be  abundant,  and  in  the  clays  con- 
nected with  the  coal  beds  there  is  the  largest  supply  of  excellent  brown 
iron  ore,  so  that  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  -iron  works  of  great 
value  may  be  erected  in.  this  region. 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO.  69 

CHAPTER  VII. 
FROM    SANTA   FE"    TO    TAOS. 

On  the  western  flank  of  the  Santa  F6  Mountains,  near  Santa  F6, 1 
found  the  foot-hills,  which  are  exposed  by  the  wearing  away  of  the  marls, 
to  be  composed  of  carboniferous  beds.  These  beds  of  limestone  rest 
directly  on  the  granite,  and  are  associated  with  gray  and  reddish  shales 
and  some  beds  of  sandstone,  the  whole  dipping  west  at  an  angle  of 
thirty-five  to  forty-five  degrees.  The  limestones  were  charged  with  fossils, 
as  many  and  as  well  preserved  as  I  have  seen  them  at  any  locality  east 
or  west.  In  many  places  these  beds  of  limestone  are  carried  high  up 
on  the  granite  hills;  sometimes  dipping  toward  the  mountains  as  if  a 
portion  of  an  anticlinal.  The  metamorphic  rocks  are  gneissoid  at  first 
on  the  flanks,  but  gradually  become  massive  granites  toward  the  main 
axis  of  the  range.  In  a  small  creek,  which  leads  down  from  the  mount- 
ains, I  saw  immense  masses  of  granite  breccia,  mostly  angular  fragments 
of  gneiss  or  red  feldspar,  with  some  rounded  masses  cemented  with  a 
granite  paste.  The  limestones  about  Santa  Fe  are  converted  into  excel- 
lent lime.  The  foundations  of  the  jail  and  court-house  are  made  of  it. 
The  fossils  are  very  numerous,  both  in  individuals  and  species.  Dr. 
Newberry  has  given  a  list  of  them.  I  found  several  species  of  Pro- 
ductus,  Sprifera  subtilita,  and  many  others.  These  limestones  do  not 
seem  to  extend  far  along  the  sides  of  the  mountains.  From  Santa  Fe  to 
Embudo  Creek,  and  mostly  even  to  Taos,  the  Santa  Fe  marls  cover  the 
country.  On  the  east  side  of  the  Eio  Grande  I  did  not  observe  a  single 
dike,  from  the  Cerillos  to  the  mouth  of  the  Chama  Creek.  North  of  that 
the  melted  material  has  been  poured  over  the  marl  so  as  to  form  broad 
mesas.  On  the  west  side  there  are  numerous  outbursts  of  igneous  mat- 
ter. These  Santa  Fe  marls  reach  a  great  thickness  north  of  Santa  F6, 
in  the  Eio  Grande  Valley,  from  one  thousand  two  hundred  to  one  thou- 
sand five  hundred  feet,  and  have  a  tendency  to  weather  into  similar  mon 
umental  and  castellated  forms,  as  in  the  "Bad  Lands."  The  upper  por- 
tions are  yellow  and  cream  colored  sandstones,  sands,  and  marls.  Lower 
down  are  some  gray  coarse  sand  beds  with  layers  of  sandstone.  All  these 
marls  dip  from  the  range  westward  three  to  five  degrees.  The  Eio  Grande 
wears  its  way  through  these  marls  with  a  bottom  about  two  miles  wide. 
On  the  west  side  are  distinct  terraces  with  the  summits  planed  off  smoothly 
like  mesas.  The  first  one  is  eighty  feet  above  the  river ;  the  second  one, 
two  hundred  feet.  These  marls  extend  all  the  way  between  the  margins 
of  the  Santa  Fe  Mountains  on  the  east  side  and  the  Jeinez  Eange  on 
the  west.  Most  of  the  Chama  Hills,  and  I  think  the  entire  hills,  are 
composed  of  it.  At  the  junction  of  the  Chama  Creek  with  the  Eio 
Grande,  a  point  comes  down  between  the  two  rivers  which  is  covered 
with  basalt.  This  continues  into  the  San  Luis  Valley  nearly  to  Fort 
Garland.  Near  the  mountains  the  hills  are  covered  extensively  with  drift, 
and  sometimes  they  are  composed  largely  of  boulders  and  marl  or 
sand.  The  country  is  full  of  the  dry  beds  of  creeks  or  arroyas,  us 
they  are  called.  All  these  carve  their  valleys  out  of  these  marl  beds. 
As  we  go  northward  near  the  mountains,  the  rounded  boulders  become 
more  and  more  numerous,  but  near  the  Eio  Grande,  where  they  have 
all  disappeared,  the  source  of  this  great  thickness  of  sediment  is  apparent. 

The  Ojo  Sarca  Creek  rises  in  the  Sante  Fe  Mountains  and  flows  into 
the  Eio  Grande,  forming  a  valley  which  is  remarkable  for  its  ruggedness. 
The  marl  beds  are  nearly  horizontal  and  the  harder  layers  of  sand  pro- 
ject out  of  the  sides  of  the  bluff  hills  like  steps  for  four  hundred  to  six 


70  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO   AND    NEW    MEXICO. 

hundred  feet  in  height.  I  know  of  no  finer  exhibition  of  these  marls  in 
their  thickness,  or  their  architectural  style  of  weathering.  On  the 
north  side  of  the  creek,  the  granites  project  up  through  the  marls. 

The  mountains  near  the  source  of  the  Bio  Trampas  are  very  lofty, 
with  some  high  peaks  which  are  rounded  with  dome-like  tops,  one  of 
which  is  called  "Old  Baldy  "  from  its  bare  summit.  Where  the  foot  hills  are 
denuded  of  the  drift  or  the  marl,  the  red  granites  are  exposed.  Along  the 
base  of  the  mountains,  especially  in  the  valley  of  the  Penasco  there  is  a 
great  thickness  of  very  coarse  conglomerate  resting  upon  the  granite 
horizontally.  It  undoubtedly  is  of  the  same  age  as  the  marl  beds.  In 
the  valley  of  the  Penasco  there  is  a  vast  quantity  of  worn  boulders,  scat- 
tered everywhere,  similar  to  the  valley  of  Boulder  Creek  in  Colorado. 
These  worn  rocks  are  of  large  size  next  to  the  mountain,  but  diminish 
the  further  they  recede  to  the  westward. 

The  valley  of  the  Eio  Grande  is  already  settled  by  Mexicans  wherever 
there  is  an  available  spot.  Nearly  all  the  land  that  can  be  irrigated  is 
cultivated  by  them,  and  good  crops  are  raised  even  with  their  rude  style 
of  cultivation. 


CHAPTEE  VIII. 

FROM  TAOS  TO   FORT   GARLAND. 

The  valley  in  which  Taos  is  situated  may  be  said  to  be  formed  by  a 
notch  or  bend  in  the  mountain  range.  On  the  southwest  is  the  Pickaris 
Eange,  with  a  strike  nearly  northeast  and  southwest.  The  next  range 
east  of  this  'trends  about  north  and  south,  and  branching  off  from  this, 
north  of  the  Taos  Valley,  are  the  Pueblo  Mountains,  Dos  Mountains,  and 
the  Eio  Colorado  Mountains,  all  with  a  strike  nearly  northwest  and 
southeast.  The  course  of  the  Eio  Grande  is  nearly  south,  and  on  each 
side  of  Taos  the  small  ranges  of  mountains  run  out  near  the  river.  The 
notch  or  bow  in  this  group  of  mountain  ranges  affords  a  fine  illustration 
of  the  method  of  flexure  in  the  mountain  ranges. 

The  Taos  Valley  is  about  eighteen  miles  in  extent,  from  east  to  west, 
and  about  sixteen  miles  from  north  to  south.  It  is  thickly  settled  by 
Mexicans,  and  every  available  spot  of  ground  is  taken  up. 

The  valley  proper  is  scooped  out  of  the  Santa  Fe  marls,  which  must 
at  one  time  have  prevailed  extensively,  as  in  the  country  north  of  Santa 
Fe,but  the  surface  has  been  smoothed  off,  so  that  nowhere  are  the  marls 
conspicuous ;  still  they  can  be  seen  all  along  the  base  of  the  mountains 
bordering  the  valley  where  portions  of  the  recent  deposits  lie  high  on 
the  mountain  side.  No  sedimentary  rocks  of  older  date  are  seen,  and 
the  Santa  Fe  marls  rest  directly  on  the  inetainorphic  rocks. 

It  is  plain  that  the  regular  metainorphic  rocks  prevail  in  these  mountain 
ranges,  but  mingling  with  them  in  various  localites  are  igneous  out- 
bursts, which  have  somewhat  tinged  the  gueissoid  rocks.  A  little  south 
of  Taos  Eiver  we  find  beds  of  beautiful  porphyritic  breccia,  which  is 
very  compact,  and  is  employed  for  building  purposes.  Westward, 
toward  tho  Eio  Grande,  it  is  probable  that  the  broad  level  plain  is 
underlaid  with  a  sheet  of  basalt,  for  the  Eio  Grande  itself  runs  through 
a  very  deep  caiion  of  this  material  for  sixty-five  miles,  from  La  Joya  to 
the  crossing  of  the  road  to  Conijos  in  the  San  Luis  Park.  In  all  this 
distance  there  is  but  one  crossing  for  teams,  and  three  others  for  persons 
on  foot,  and  there  the  passage  is  made  with  great  difficulty.  -Far  dis- 


SURVEY    OF    COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO.  71 

tant,  to  the  west  of  the  Eio  Grande,  are  numerous  isolated  mountains 
showing  the  igneous  protrusions. 

Taos  Valley,  therefore,  forms  'a  sort  of  half  circle,  and  the  mountains 
which  surround  it,  of  which  there  appear  to  be  ten  or  twelve  distinct 
ranges,  are  expansions  of  the  main  range.  It  is  near  this  expansion 
that  the  Moreno  mines  are  situated,  which  have  already  proved  unusu- 
ally rich,  and  will  probably  continue  to  yield  large  returns  of  gold  for 
many  years  to  come. 

On  the  sides  of  the  mountains  immediately  opposite  the  Morena  Val- 
ley, north  of  Taos,  are  located  the  mines  of  the  Arroyo  Hondo  Mining  and 
Ditching  Company,  of  which  Mr.  Lucian  Stewart,  of  Taos,  is  the  superin- 
tendent. Mr.  Stewart  has  already  erected  a  twenty-stamp  mill  on  the 
San  Antonio  Creek,  and  the  supply  of  water  is  so  great  that  if  the  mines 
turn  out  to  be  rich  in  gold,  the  enterprise  will  prove  a  complete  success. 

About  twenty  lodes  have  been  prospected  with  more  or  less  encour- 
agement, and  some  of  them  look  well.  In  most  instances  the  country 
rock  has  a  greenish  ashen  tinge,  doubtless  due  to  the  influence  of  heat 
from  the  igneous  rocks.  The  lodes  are  not  very  well  denned ;  one  lode 
has  a  strike  a  little  west  of  north.  It  contains  carbonate  of  copper,  sul- 
phurets  of  copper  and  iron.  It  was  first  prospected  for  silver,  but  turned 
out  to  be  richer  in  gold.  The  cleavage  walls  are  lined  with  sulphate  of 
lime.  The  gangue  rock  is  mostly  feldspar  and  quartz  highly  ferruginous. 

The  main  lode  of  the  company  is  situated  about  half  way  up  the  soutk 
side  of  the  mountain.  Dip  of  vein,  thirty-five  degrees,  strike  nearly 
east  and  west,  inclining  about  south.  The  country  rock  is  mostly 
quartz,  quite  hard,  while  the  seam,  which  is  pretty  well  defined,  is  rotten 
quartz.  It  is  eight  to  twelve  inches  wide,  and  is  called  the  "  pay  streak," 
although  the  neighboring  rock  pays  well.  There  may  be  a  very  wide  crev- 
ice here  of  which  the  walls  have  not  been  discovered.  The  cleavage  lines 
are  well  shown,  and  are  of  two  kinds,  one  set  dipping  south  thirty-five 
degrees  parallel  with  the  ore  streak,  and  the  other  inclining  north  twenty 
degrees.  The  principal  lines  of  cleavage  contain  the  rich  ore.  The 
dip  of  the  country  rock  is  plainly  south  or  southeast  at  a  very  high 
angle.  A  tunnel  has  been  excavated  into  the  side  of  the  mountain  five 
feet  in  diameter,  and  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  deep,  two  hundred 
feet  below  discovery  point. 

All  along  the  sides  of  the  mountains  are  quite  thick  deposits  of  recent 
material,  as  clays,  sands,  and  marls,  and  at  one  locality,  while  digging  a 
ditch,  Mr.  Stewart  discovered  a  thick  bed  of  aluminous  clay  which  con- 
tained much  gold,  but  it  was  found  to  be  so  difficult  to  extract  it  that 
the  placer  was  abandoned.  The  sides  of  the  mountains  everywhere  are 
covered  with  "diggings,"  where  the  Mexicans  in  former  times  washed 
the  loose  drift  with  water,  obtained  by  melting  the  snows. 

These  mountains  are  composed  largely  of  gray  granite,  and  the  reddish 
feldspar  is  not  much  seen.  Each  one  of  these  ranges  seems  to  afford  a 
good  example  of  an  anticlinal  axis,  the  sides  being  shown  by  the  shape  of 
their  slopes,  which  are  very  seldom  symmetrical,  one  side  of  the  anti- 
clinal being  much  more  prominent  than  the  other. 

From  Taos  to  Eio  Colorado  the  foot-hills  of  the  mountains  are  covered 
with  pirionj  with  a  few  larger  pines  which  would  make  excellent  timber. 
Indeed,  I  am  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  the  basaltic  mesas  are  the 
natural  habitats  of  the  pirion,  which  is  a  low  scrubby  tree,  fit  only  for 
fuel,  while  the  larger  species  of  pine  and  spruce  are  found  growing  on 
the  metaniorphic  rocks. 

As  we  approach  the  Eio  Colorado  the  outbursts  of  basaltic  material 
increase.  The  Eio  Grande  and  its  branches,  before  they  join  the  larger 


72  SURVEY    OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

% 

stream,  show  vast  canons  with  nearly  perpendicular  sides,  and  the  pecu- 
liar dark  somber  color  of  the  rocks  adds  to  the  gloomy  picturesqueness 
of  the  scenery.  On  each  side  of  the  valleys  of  the  little  streams  as  they 
issue  from  the  mountains  are  high  terraces  one  hundred  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  high,  which  are  here  more  conspicuous  than  usual.  These 
are  composed  of  the  Santa  Fe  marls  and  are  not  unfrequently  covered 
with  a  thjck  bed  of  basalt. 

The  broad  intermediate  space  between  the  range  of  mountains  which 
form  the  east  side  of  the  valley  of  the  Eio  Grande  and  the  Sierra  Madre 
— a  main  range  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  which  gives  origin  to  the  waters 
of  the  Pacific  streams — is  covered  with  rounded  hills,  detached  ranges, 
&c.,  all  of  which  are  basaltic.  The  two  rounded  hills,  which  are  very 
marked,  situated  nearly  opposite  each  other  on  different  sides  of  the  Bio 
Grande,  Cerro  de  las  Utas  and  Cerro  San  Antonio,  are,  it  seems  to  me, 
old  craters  or  fissures,  out  of  which  issued  the  melted  material  which 
overflowed  the  sides,  and  time  has  weathered  the  whole  mass  into  its 
present  beautiful  rounded  form.  At  this  time  they  look  like  gigantic 
mammae. 

I  am  inclined  to  regard  the  valley  of  the  Eio  Grande  as  one  great 
crater,  including  within  its  rim  a  vast  number  of  smaller  craters  and 
dikes,  out  of  which  has  been  poured  at  some  time  a  continuous  sheet  or 
mass  of  melted  material.  All  the  valleys,  small  and  great,  give  evidence 
that  they  have  been  worn  out  of  this  vast  mesa.  The  Eio  Grande,  from  its 
source  in  the  San  Juan  Mountains  to  Albuquerque,  flows  along  its  banks 
through  basaltic  rocks  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  and  as  we  go  north- 
ward from  it  they  disappear  in  part. 

By  glancing  at  a  map  it  will  be  seen  at  once  that  the  valley  of  the  Eio 
Grande  belongs  to  the  eastern  side  or  Atlantic  slope  of  the  "  great  divide," 
and  that  the  ranges  of  mountains,  on  the  east  side  of  the  valley  of  the 
Eio  Grande,  which  run  out  into  the  plains  near  Santa  Fe,  are  a  series 
of  fragments  which  seem  to  have  broken  off  from  the  main  rocky  range 
north  of  the  South  Park,  and  are  prolonged  southward  in  a  more  or  less 
broken  condition  for  over  four  hundred  miles.  It  will  also  be  seen  from 
the  map  that  the  parting  line  or  divide  flexes  over  to  the  west,  with  a 
great  bend  above  Middle  and  South  Parks.  Now  between  the  base 
of  this  mountain  prolongation  on  the  east,  and  the  Sierra  Madre  or 
western  divide  on  the  west,  from  the  head  of  the  San  Luis  Valley  to 
Gallisteo  Creek,  at  least,  an  area  of  over  two  hundred  miles  from  north  to 
south,  and  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  east  to  west,  is 
occupied  mostly  by  but  two  classes  of  rocks,  the  basaltic  and  the  mod- 
ern tertiary  or  Santa  Fe  marls.  These  recent  marls  are  very  conspicuous 
about  Santa  Fe  and  north  of  that  point  to  the  Pickaris  Mountains,  but 
north  of  that  point  they  are  not  largely  developed,  though  at  one  time 
they  must  have  reached  a  great  thickness,  but  have  been  removed  by 
erosion.  The  valley  of  the  Eio  Grande,  from  Santa  Fe  to  Taos,  has  the 
appearance  of  an  immature  region,  much  like  that  of  the  "  Bad  Lands," 
or  the  tertiary  deposits  of  White  and  Mobrara  rivers  on  the  Missouri. 
But  above  and  north  of  Taos  the  wearing  and  smoothing  process  has  been 
applied  so  that  there  is  a  mature  appearance  of  the  country,  like  that  of 
Eastern  Nebraska  or  Kansas.  Still  all  along  the  foot  of  the  mountains 
below  Costilla,  underneath  the  mesa  which  extends  from  below  Costilla 
to  the  Sierra  Blanca  Eange,  fifty  miles,  these  marls  can  be  seen  in  places. 
At  Culebra,  the  Eio  Culebra  cuts  through  the  mesa,  forming  a  sort  of 
gorge  nearly  half  a  mile  in  width.  On  the  sides  of  the  mesa  these  marls 
are  most  clearly  seen  underneath  a  heavy  bed  of  basalt.  Along  the  little 
branches  of  the  EioTrenchara,  as  the  Eio  de  las  Utas  and  the  Sangre  de 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO.  73 

• 

Christo  and  on  the  south  side  of  the  Sierra  Blanca  Range,  are  prominent 
terrace-like  hills  which  are  composed  of  yellowish-brown  marls  and  sands. 
On  the  south  side  of  the  Sierra  Blanca,  they  jut  up  high  and  close  on  the 
mountain  slope.  These  marls  are  only  remnants  of  large  deposits  which 
once  existed  here,  and  spread  out  uniformly  all  over  the  valley. 

That  there  are  mines  of  gold  and  other  precious  metals,  as  well  as  iron 
and  copper,  in  the  mountains,  along  the  eastern  side  of  the  San  Luis 
Valley,  has  long  been  known.  Specimens  of  copper,  indicating  mines 
of  considerable  richness,  have  been  brought  from  the  sources  of  the  Cos- 
tilla  and  iron  ores  are  scattered  all  over  the  valley  of  the  Rio  de  las  Uta  s.  In 
the  foot-hills  of  the  mountains  are  fragments  of  magnetic  iron  ore,  much 
like  that  in  the  valley  of  the  Chugwater  Creek.  Stray  masses  have  been 
traced  up  the  mountain  sides  for  about  five  miles,  where  a  "blow-out"  or 
an  immense  mountain  mass  has  been  discovered.  This  iron  occurs  in  the 
gneissoid  rocks,  or  what  is  called  the  Laurentian  group,  to  which  group, 
I  believe,  all  the  gneissic  and  perhaps  the  entire  mass  of  metamorphic 
rocks  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  system  belong.  I  have  assumed  the  posi- 
tion, in  all  my  investigations,  that  there  are  but  two  classes  of  changed 
rocks  in  the  West,  viz,  igneous  and  metamorphic,  and  that  the  oldest 
granites  which  form  the  nuclei  of  the  loftiest  mountain  ranges  were  once 
aqueous  rocks,  deposited  in  the  same  manner  as  the  limestones  or  sand- 
stones of  our  most  modern  formations.  It  is  on  this  ground  that  I  have 
so  often  used  the  terms  " changed"  and  " unchanged"  rocks.  By  igneous 
rocks,  I  always  mean  those  only  that  I  regard  as  having  once  been  in  a 
fluid  state,  and  may  or  may  not  have  been  protruded  so  as  to  reach  the 
surface.  I  also  assume  that  these  igneous  rocks  in  the  West  may  have 
been  thrust  up  at  different  geological  periods,  or  at  different  times  during 
the  same  epoch. 

The  gold  mines  near  the  Sangre  de  Christo  Pass  are  the  most  import- 
ant that  have  been  discovered  in  the  San  Luis  Valley.  From  some 
notes  kindly  furnished  me  by  Dr.  McClellan,  United  States  Army,  sur- 
geon of  the  post  at  Fort  Garland,  the  history  of  these  mines  appears  to 
be  as  follows: 

During  the  gold  excitement  in  the  San  Juan  Mountains,  west  of  the 
Rio  Grande  del  Norte,  in  1862,  a  large  number  of  miners,  or,  as  they 
were  called  in  those  days,  "pilgrims,"  crossed  the  Sangre  de  Christo 
Pass,  and  camped  for  rest  after  a  long  journey  from  Idaho,  Montana,  and 
Northern  Colorado,  on  Placiere  Creek,  one  of  the  main  tributaries  of 
the  Rio  del  Sangre  de  Christo.  Learning  from  some  passing  Mexicans, 
that  in  the  olden  time  their  people  were  accustomed  to  pack  dirt  from 
some  of  the  canons  of  the  mountains  to  the  Placiere  Creek,  to  wash  out 
the  gold,  they  went  to  work  and  prospected  the  gulch  of  the  Grayback 
Creek.  The  San  Juan  excitement  was,  however,  so  strong  that  they 
started  to  continue  their  journey  the  winter  of  the  same  year,  many  of 
whom  returned  in  a  starving  condition,  and  went  to  work  in  this  gulch 
with  good  results. 

In  1865  and  1866,  Kit  Carson  with  a  party  x>rospected  this  region  for 
placer  diggings,  and  took  up  many  valuable  claims.  The  gold  taken 
put  by  sluicing  is  very  valuable  and  of  a  pure  yellow  color,  and  is  what 
is  called  "wire  and  scale"  gold.  It  usually  sells  for  about  $19  per  ounce 
in  gold,  much  more  than  the  Morena  gold  or  any  other  in  this  country. 
A  valuable  lode  with  a  well-defined  crevice  has  been  uncovered,  but 
little  or  no  work  has  been  done  on  it.  In  the  mountains  at  the  sources 
of  the  Rio  Seco,  on  the  west  side  of  Culebra  Peak,  some  lodes  have  been 
found  which  appear  favorable.  Most  of  the  foot-hills  are  covered  with 
beds  of  yellow  marl  inclining  slightly.  These  foot-hills  seem  to  be 


74  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND    NEW   MEXICO. 

smoothed  off  and  are  covered  with  a  thick  deposit  of  debris.  In  the 
little  valleys  of  the  mountains  the  gneissic  rocks  are  exposed,  and  about 
twenty  lodes  have  been  examined  to  some  extent ;  the  crevice  matter  on 
the  surface  is  entirely  rotten  quartz.  These  lodes  have  in  most  cases 
well-defined  walls,  varying  from  three  to  six  feet  in  width,  and  a  strike 
about  northeast  and  southwest.  Should  these  mines  turn  out  to  be  rich 
in  gold,  the  ease  with  which  they  can  be  worked  will  render  them  very 
celebrated. 

From  a  point  not  more  than  twenty  miles  north  of  Santa  Fe,  to  the 
Sangre  de  Christo  Pass,  I  was  unable  to  discover  any  of  the  older  sedi- 
mentary beds  on  the  western  side  of  the  mountains.  Sometimes  among 
the  drift  boulders,  which  were  very  extensive  everywhere,  a  few  masses 
of  limestone  would  be  found  which  were  evidently  carboniferous.  In 
Taos  Valley  slightly  worn  masses  of  limestone  were  found,  with  well- 
defined  carboniferous  fossils.  This  would  seeni  to  indicate  that  these 
rocks  once  existed  all  along  the  mountains,  even  if  they  cannot  be  found 
at  this  time.  I  have  no  doubt  that  all  the  sedimentary  formations  which 
are  found  on  the  eastern  margins  of  the  mountains  once  extended  unin- 
terruptedly across  the  Eio  Grande  Valley,  and  some  portions  may  now 
exist  deep  beneath  the  basalt  and  Santa  Fe  marls. 

Near  the  Eio  Colorado,  the  lower  ridges  or  foot-hills  of  the  mountains 
exhibit  the  influence  of  the  igneous  rocks  to  a  greater  extent  than  south- 
ward, and  continue  to  do  so  to  the  Sierra  Blanca.  Near  the  point  from 
which  the  Eio  Colorado  emerges  from  the  mountains,  the  rocks  are  a 
bright  brick-red  over  a  small  area,  and  I  mistook  them  for  remnants  of 
the  triassic.  A  closer  examination  showed  me  that  high  up  on  the  sides 
of  the  mountains  a  great  thickness  of  the  recent  marls,  sands,  and  clays, 
have  been  so  changed  by  contact  with  the  igneous  rocks,  that  they  now 
present  that  peculiar  brick-red  and  variegated  appearance  which  is 
noticed  for  several  miles. 

At  Costilla  the  main  range  seems  to  bend  abruptly  to  the  eastward, 
and  a  portion  of  the  lower  ridges  on  the  western  sides  of  the  mountains 
south  of  Costilla  passes  off  without  interruption  in  a  long  basaltic  mesa, 
which  extends  nearly  to  Fort  Garland.  East  of  this  mesa  are  the  "  ve- 
gas"  or  meadows,  which  have  been  carved  out  of  the  mesa  between  it 
and  the  foot  of  the  mountains  and  form  a  portion  of  the  valleys  of  the 
Costilla  and  Culebra  Elvers.  North  of  Culebra  the  basaltic  mesas  com- 
mence again  close  to  the  base  of  the  mountains,  and  continue  quite 
largely  developed  up  to  the  Sierra  Blanca  Eange.  These  mesas  are 
capped  with  a  heavy  bed  of  basalt,  which  always  seems  to  incline  eastward 
toward  the  mountains  at  least  from  three  to  five  degrees,  and  some- 
times much  more. 

On  the  east  side,  close  to  the  Eio  Grande,  near  the  entrances  of  the 
Trenchera  and  Culebra  Elvers,  are  a  great  number  of  ridges  and  coni- 
cal peaks  or  hills,  called  u  Cerillos,"  all  of  them  basaltic.  On  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  Eio  Grande  these  basaltic  hills  are  very  abundant,  and 
occupy  most  of  the  country.  Just  north  of  the  Trenchera  this  range  of 
mountains  seems  to  bend  abruptly  back  to  the  westward  in  the  form  of 
the  Sierra  Blanca  Mountains,  which  have  a  trend  nearly  east  and  west. 
There  is  therefore  a  quadrangular  space  inclosed  on  three  sides  by 
mountains — the  Costilla  on  the  south  side,  about  fifteen  or  twenty  miles ; 
the  principal  range  on  the  east,  about  sixty  miles,  and  the  Sierra  Blanca 
on  the  north,  about  fifteen  or  twenty  miles.  The  main  range  continues 
northward,  bending  slightly  westward,  until  it  joins  the  Sierra  Madre  at 
the  Poncho  Pass.  The  Sierra  Blanca  is  the  grandest  and  most  pictur- 
esque range  in  Southern  Colorado.  It  is  apparently  basaltic  and  is,  as  I 
suppose,  a  gigantic  dike.  I  regard  the  Spanish  Peaks  as  an  enormous 


SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND    NEW   MEXICO.  75 

• 

dike.  In  nearly  all  cases  the  strike  of  the  axes  of  these  dikes  is  nearly 
northeast  and  southwest,  while  for  the  most  part  the  axes  of  the  granitic 
ranges  trend  about  northwest  and  southeast.  It  is  my  opinion  also 
that  the  elevation  of  the  basaltic  range  was  an  event  subsequent  to 
that  of  the  granitic,  for  in  all  cases  that  I  have  ever  examined  the  igne- 
ous rocks  are  poured  out  over  the  granites,  and  in  some  cases  conceal- 
ing them  entirely  over  large  areas.  Many  of  the  loftiest  peaks  in  the 
granitic  ranges  are  basaltic.  The  basaltic  axis  never  passes  through 
the  granitic,  as  is  shown  by  the  Spanish  peaks  on  the  east,  and  the 
Sierra  Blanca  on  the  west.  Each  one  stops  abruptly  as  it  comes  up 
against  the  principal  granitic  axis. 

As  I  have  before  observed,  no  unchanged  sedimentary  rocks  of  older 
date  than  the  Santa  Fe  marls  were  noticed  along  the  western  side  of 
the  main  range  north  of  Taos,  until  we  come  to  the  Sangre  de  Christo 
Pass.  About  the  sources  of  the  Costilla  or  Culebra  Rivers  there  may  be 
some  remnants,  but  none  have  been  seen  after  a  pretty  close  examina- 
tion. At  the  very  summit  of  the  pass  is  a  series  of  reddish  sandstones 
and  shales  nearly  vertical  but  inclining  westward.  From  the  summit  of 
the  pass  we  descend  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Sangre  de  Christo 
Creek  in  a  south  westerly  direction.  The  sandstone  extends  for  four  or  five 
miles,  and  is  of  every  variety  of  texture,  from  a  very  fine  compact  sili- 
cious  rock  to  a  moderately  coarse  pudding-stone.  In  some  of  these 
sandstones  are  indistinct  vegetable  impressions,  some  of  which  can  be 
recognized  as  fragments  of  Catamites.  Further  down  we  come  to  a  series 
of  limestones  and  sandstones,  with  some  calcareous  sandstones,  having 
thin  beds  or  partings- of  shale.  These  alternate  limestones  and  sand- 
stones extend  for  about  five  miles,  and  then  comes  a  belt  of  five  miles 
of  gueissoid  granites.  Near  the  junction  of  the  limestones  with  the 
granites  there  is  a  bed  of  limestone  filled  with  fossils,  Productus,  several 
species,  Spirifer  subtilita,  Rhynconella  roclcymontana,  Spirifer  tineatus,  and 
numerous  corals  and  crinoidat  stems.  Although  it  is  possible  that  there 
are  here  rocks  of  older  date  than  carboniferous,  yet  from  the  fact  that 
all  along  the  eastern  side  of  the  mountains  the  carboniferous  limestones 
have  been  found  resting  upon  the  granites,  I  have  inferred  that  there 
are  no  sedimentary  rocks  of  older  date  in  this  region.  At  first  the  Sangre 
de  Christo  Creek  passes  through  a  inonoclinal  rift  for  nearly  ten  miles, 
then  it  cuts  through  ridges  of  limestone,  bed  after  bed.  The  real  dip  of 
all  these  beds  is  northeast  while  the  apparent  dip  is  southwest,  as  if 
the  granites  were  more  modern  than  the  limestones  which  are  above  them. 
The  belt  of  granites  is  about  five  miles  wide,  and  thence  to  Fort  Garland, 
which  is  ten  miles,  are  igneous  rocks.  Eight  miles  east  of  Fort  Garland 
are  some  high  ridges  of  basalt  that  dip  east  about  eight  degrees,  and 
have  a  trend  north  and  south,  and  from  the  abrupt  western  face  from 
four  to  six  distinct  beds  of  igneous  rocks  can  be  seen.  The  cause  of 
the  inclination  of  the  basaltic  beds  is  not  clear,  though  it  may  have 
originated  in  the  Sierra  Blanca.  We  were  much  indebted  for  many 
favors  and  information  to  Dr.  E.  McClelland,  surgeon,  and  to  Colonel 
Hart,  commander  of  Fort  Garland. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
FROM  FORT  GARLAND  TO  SOUTH  PARK. 

The  Rio  Grande  del  Korte  River  rises  in  the  Park  of  the  Aniinas,  flows 
east  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  the  San  Luis  Valley,  then  bends 
abruptly  south  through  the  middle  of  the  San  Luis  Valley.  The  north- 


76  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO. 

ern  portion  of  the  valley  is  called  the  San  Luis  Park  proper.  This 
northern  portion,  above  the  bow  of  the  Eio  Grande,  is  about  sixty  miles 
in  length,  and  has  an  average  width  of  fifteen  to  twenty  miles.  About 
the  center  of  this  park  is  a  singular  depression,  about  ten  miles  wide 
and  thirty  miles  long ;  it  looks  like  one  vast  thicket  of  "  grease  wood," 
Sarcobatusvermicularisj  and  other  chenopiaceous  shrubs.  Into  it  flow  some 
twelve  or  fifteen  good  sized  streams,  and  yet  there  is  no  known  outlet, 
neither  is  there  any  large  body  of  water  visible.  It  seems  to  be  one  vast 
swamp  or  bog,  with  a  few  small  lakes,  one  of  which  is  said  to  be  three 
miles  in  length.  Although  entirely  disconnected  from  any  other  water 
system  the  little  streams  are  full  of  trout. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  Sierra  Blanca  the  foot-hills  are  composed  of 
the  light-colored  marls,  and  on  the  west  side  of  the  mountain,  and  near 
Mosca  Pass,  are  the  sand  hills,  which  are  composed  of  the  loose  materials 
of  this  formation. 

Here  also  is  another  conspicuous  remnant  of  it  left  after  erosion.  On 
the  west  side,  just  below  Sawatch  Creek,  and  in  the  Eincon,  are 
some  rather  high  hills  of  this  marl  at  the  base  of  the  mountains.  The 
materials  thrown  out  of  the  excavations  of  prairie  dogs  show  that  the 
valley  is  entirely  underlaid  with  it.  I  am  convinced  therefore  that  this 
fresh-water  deposit  occupied  the  whole  of  this  valley  from  Poncho 
Pass  to  the  mouth  of  Gallisteo  Creek,  and  how  much  further  southward 
I  cannot  tell,  but  there  is  evidence  that  it  extends,  either  continuously 
or  with  interruptions,  through  New  Mexico,  and  even  further. 

From  Fort  Garland  to  the  Poncho  Pass  no  sedimentary  rocks  of  older 
date  than  the  marls  are  seen  along  the  margins  of  the  mountains  on 
either  side  until  we  reach  Kerber's  ranche,  at  out  ten  miles  below  the 
summit  of  the  pass.  On  the  west  side  of  the  valley,  on  the  foot-hills, 
is  a  large  thickness  of  carboniferous  limestones,  lifted  high  on  the  summits, 
and  dipping  east  at  an  angle  of  fifty  degrees.  This  limestone  continues 
only  a  few  miles,  and  is  another  of  the  remnants  that  are  left  of  the  sedi- 
mentary rocks  among  the  mountains. 

Commencing  at  Fort  Garland,  the  range  of  mountains  that  wall  in  the 
San  Luis  Park  on  the  east  side  is  grand  in  its  proportions.  From  the 
Sierra  Blanca  nearly  to  the  Poncho  Pass  it  appears  to  be  purely  eruptive, 
and  to  be  composed  of  a  series  of  ranges  or  axes  trending  nearly  northeast 
and  southwest.  At  the  northern  end  the  eruptive  portion  ceases,  and 
the  lower  metamorphic  mountains  flex  around  so  as  to  trend  northwest 
and  southeast.  On  the  west  side,  the  mountains  are  far  less  lofty,  but 
they  seem  to  form  a  nucleus  of  metamorphic  rocks,  with  a  vast  number  of 
dikes,  from  which  the  basalt  has  poured  over  nearly  the  entire  region. 
All  the  foot-hills  south  of  the  Sawatch  are  composed  of  eruptive  rocks, 
but  north  of  that  point  the  gneissic  rocks  are  seen.  This  range  of  moun- 
tains seems  to  be  made  up  of  a  number  of  smaller  ranges,  with  a  general 
trend  northwest  and  southeast.  It  would  seem  that  where  a  range  of 
mountains  is  purely  eruptive  the  minor  ranges  trend  northeast  and  south- 
west, but  that  where  there  is  a  metamorphic  nucleus  the  eruptive  mate- 
rials follow  the  strike  of  the  minor  ranges. 

At  the  summit  of  the  pass  the  hills  are  grass-covered  and  the  road 
excellent,  but  the  nucleus  of  the  mountains  on  the  east  side  is  meta- 
morphic, with  dikes  of  eruptive  rocks  everywhere.  The  little  stream,  the 
valley  of  which  we  descend,  flows  through  a  rnonoclinal  rift  or  interval 
between  the  ridges  of  metamorphic  rocks. 

About  two  miles  from  the  summit  this  little  branch  is  joined  by  the 
main  fork,  and  the  whole  continues  to  flow  through  a  monoclinal  valley 
until  it  empties  into  the  South  Arkansas.  The  main  Poncho  Creek  rises 


SURVEY    OF   COLORADO    AND   NEW   MEXICO.  77 

in  one  of  the  loftiest  peaks  in  Colorado.  This  peak  lias  a  large  depres- 
sion on  the  east  side,  which  may  once  have  formed  a  portion  of  the  crater. 
At  the  junction  of  the  forks  commences  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
examples  of  what  appear  to  be  igneous  rocks  I  have  ever  seen  in  the 
West.  On  the  east  side  of  the  creek  we  have  the  steep  slopes,  and  on 
the  west  the  projecting  edges.  We  have  here  eight  hundred  to  one 
thousand  feet  of  eruptive  rocks  with  a  somber  hue,  but  with  a  stratifi- 
cation as  perfect  as  in  any  sedimentary  rocks.  It  is  composed  of  layers 
never  over  one  to  four  inches  in  thickness,  inclining  south  of  west  forty- 
five  degrees.  Some  of  the  layers  would  make  good  flagging  stones. 

A  little  further  down  we  come  to  the  gneissic  rocks,  inclining  north- 
west fifty  to  sixty  degrees.  Some  of  the  black-banded  gneiss  has  zig- 
zag seams  of  feldspar  and  quartz  running  through  them. 

About  three  miles  before  reaching  the  Arkansas  there  is  a  curious  junc- 
tion of  the  massive  red  feldspathic  granites,  inclining  northeast  seventy 
degrees,  with  the  dark-banded  gneiss,  inclining  northwest  twenty-five 
degrees.  At  the  point  of  synclinal  junction  all  is  confusion  ;  the  two 
kinds  of  rocks  are  crushed  together,  and  yet  there  is  no  break  in  the 
mountain.  As  we  emerge  from  the  pass  to  the  South  Arkansas  we  have 
the  finest  exhibition  of  banded  gneiss  I  have  seen  in  the  West.  The 
rocks  are  of  various  colors,  red,  yellow,  white,  and  black,  and  the  layers 
are  quite  thin,  and  their  appearance  is  very  picturesque.  The  general 
course  of  the  Poncho  Creek,  from  its  source  in  the  snow  peak  to  the 
Arkansas,  is  north. 

The  gneiss  is  very  varied  in  its  texture ;  some  of  it  contains  garnets ; 
some  of  it  is  very  close  feldspathic,  micaceous,  or  whitish  quartzose. 

On  the  east  side  of  Poncho  Creek,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 

feet  above  the  Arkansas,  on  the  side  of  the  mountain,  is  a  hot  spring 

surrounded  with  a  large  tufaceous  deposit.    There  is  also  near  the  foot 

of  the  pass,  on  the  side  of  the  mountain,  an  extensive  deposit  of  the 

yellowish  marl,  filled  with  water- worn  boulders. 

Between  the  South  and  North  Arkansas  there  are  some  remarkable 
terraces  or  benches  extending  the  whole  breadth  of  the  valley  from  moun- 
tain to  mountain.  On  the  north  side  of  the  South  Arkansas  are  three 
terraces,  beside  the  rounded  hills  near  the  base  of  the  mountains,  which 
rise  in  succession  like  steps. 

The  high  eruptive  range  which  seems  to  cross  the  South  Arkansas, 
and  to  pass  up  along  the  west  side  of  the  North  Arkansas,  appears  to  be 
composed  of  a  series  of  enormous  dikes  in  a  chain  merging  into  each 
other,  and  having  a  strike  about  northeast  and  southwest.  The  general 
trend  of  the  aggregate  is  about  north  and  south. 

On  the  west  side  of  the  Arkansas  Valley  the  recent  tertiary  beds  run 
up  to  and  overlap  the  margins  of  the  mountains.  They  are  composed 
mostly  of  fine  sands,  arenaceous  clays,  and  pudding-stones,  cream-col- 
ored arenaceous  clays,  and  rusty  yellow  marls,  fine  sand  predominating. 
These  beds  weather  into  peculiaV  architectural  forms,  somewhat  like  the 
"  Bad  Lands"  of  Dakota.  Indeed  they  are  very  nearly  the  same  as  the 
Santa  Fe  marls,  and  were  doubtless  cotemporaneous,  and  dip  at  the 
same  angle,  three  to  five  degrees,  a  little  west  of  north.  The  tops  of 
the  hills  have  all  been  planed  down  as  if  smoothed  with  a  roller.  I  have 
called  this  group  the  Arkansas  marls.  They  occupy  the  entire  valley  of 
the  Arkansas.  This  valley  is  about  forty  miles  in  length,  and  on  an 
average  about  five  to  ten  miles  in  width.  It  might  properly  be  called  a 
park,  for  it  is  completely  surrounded  by  mountains.  On  the  west  side 
is  one  of  the  grandest  ranges  of  eruptive  mountains  on  the  continent. 
On  the  east  side  is  also  a  lofty  range  with  a  metamorphic  nucleus,  but 


78  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

intersected  everywhere  with  basaltic  dikes.  The  first  and  lowest  range 
runs  parallel  with  it,  and  is  sometimes  cut  through  by  it.  It  seems  to 
be  composed  of  massive  feldspathic  granite  of  igneous  origin. 

Near  the  mill,  on  a  little  branch  just  below  the  mouth  of  Trout  Creek, 
there  is  a  high  rounded  peak  with  a  crater-formed  depression  at  the 
summit  which  is  grassed  over,  while  all  around  the  rim  there  is  a  fringe 
of  pines.  I  am  inclined  to  think  it  is  an  old  volcano. 

At  the  point  where  Chalk  Creek  emerges  from  the  eruptive  range,  the 
sides  of  the  canon  present  a  singular  white  chalky  appearance.  This 
seems  to  be  due  to  the  decomposition  of  the  eruptive  rocks,  which  ap- 
pear to  be  true  dolerite. 

The  drift  evidences  in  this  valley  are  very  conspicuous.  All  along 
the  Arkansas  and  in  the  valleys  of  the  little  branches  are  very  thick 
beds  of  water- worn  boulders  of  all  sizes.  The  last  of  the  eroding  forces 
seems  to  have  come  from  the  range  of  mountains  on  the  west  side. 

The  granite  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  possesses,  in  a  wonderful  de- 
gree, the  tendency  to  disintegrate  by  exfoliation.  There  is  a  kind  of 
bedding  which  breaks  the  exfoliation  or  confines  it.  In  these  massive 
granites  there  are  two  sorts  of  cleavage  besides  the  lines  of  bedding;  one 
of  these  is  usually  vertical  and  has  a  strike  northeast  and  southwest, 
and  the  other  southeast  and  northwest,  inclining  twenty  to  forty  degrees. 

On  the  summit  of  the  mountains  is  a  series  of  beds,  one  above  the 
other,  of  what  appears  to  be  basalt,  and  these  beds  with  the  granites 
beneath  them  incline  each  way  from  Trout  Creek  Valley  northeast  and 
southwest,  forming  what  appears  to  be  an  anticlinal. 

As  we  ascend  Trout  Creek  Pass,  we  find  granites  of  all  textures  from 
very  fine  compact  feldspathic  to  a  coarse  aggregate  of  crystals.  There 
arc  also  many  intrusions  of  trap.  All  the  rocks  seem  to  weather  in 
the  same  way,  by  exfoliation,  as  if  it  were  the  desire  of  nature  to  round 
off  all  sharp  points  or  corners.  I  think  it  may  be  said  that  Trout  Creek 
Valley  is  a  true  anticlinal. 

Some  time  before  reaching  the  top  of  the  pass,  we  find  on  the  sides  of 
the  valley  low  foot-hills  of  carboniferous  limestone,  remnants  of  a  once 
continuous  bed.  As  we  emerge  into  a  little  park,  just  before  reaching 
South  Park,  we  pass  through  a  sort  of  canon,  with  walls  of  carbon- 
iferous limestone  on  each  side,  inclining  -northeast  at  an  angle  of 
eighteen  to  twenty  degrees.  This  limestone  rests  directly  upon  the 
massive  granite,  and  the  bedding  of  the  granite  inclines  in  the  same  di- 
rection and  at  the  same  angle.  The  limestones  are  from  three  hundred 
to  four  hundred  feet  in  thickness.  There  is  one  bed,  about  thirty  feet 
thick,  of  rusty  quartzose  sandstone  about  the  middle  of  the  limestone. 
The  lower  beds  are  very  hard,  bluish,  and  cherty;  but  the  upper  ones 
are  yellow,  purer,  and  contain  imperfect  fragments  of  fossils. 

There  are  here  also  several  examples  of  the  outbursts  of  basalt,  assum- 
ing very  marked  castellated  forms. 

As  we  pass  into  this  small  park,  which  is  about  five  or  six  miles  long 
and  two  wide,  we  have  on  the  north  side  of  the  road  a  bed  of  very  thinly 
laminated  black  shale,  passing  up  into  a  great  thickness  of  laminated 
sandstones,  all  inclining  northeast  fifteen  degrees,  and  on  the  summits  of 
the  mountains,  four  hundred  to  six  hundred  feet  directly  above,  are  beds 
of  limestone  and  quartzite  inclining  in  the  same  direction.  The  black 
shales  have  been  prospected  for  coal.  Toward  the  upper  end  of  this 
little  park  is  a  series  of  beds,  some  of  them  with  a  reddish  tinge, 
composed  of  alternate  thin  beds  of  shale,  sandstone,  pudding-stone,  and 
arenaceous  limestones,  which  belong  underneath  the  black  shales  before 
mentioned. 


SURVEY    OF    COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO.  79 

It  seems  to  me  that  these  beds  are  Jurassic,  or  much  newer  than  the 
carboniferous,  but  in  the  upheaval  have  fallen  clown  below  the  carbon- 
iferous limestones,  which  have  been  lifted  far  up  in  the  ridge  beyond. 
As  we  ascend  the  ridge  which  forms  the  southwestern  rim  of  the  South 
Park,  we  meet  with  what  appears  to  be  the  same  black  shales  and  sand- 
stones on  the  summit,  which  we  saw  some  hundreds  of  feet  lower  in  the 
small  park. 

The  South  Park  is  completely  surrounded  with  gigantic  ranges  of 
mountains,  and  inside  of  them  the  sedimentary  rocks,  when  exposed, 
seem  to  dip  toward  the  center  of  the  park.  Indeed,  I  should  regard  the 
South  Park  as  one  immense  quaquaversal. 

Around  the  salt  works  is  a  group  of  laminated  sandstones,  mostly 
brown  and  gray,  overlaid  by  a  great  thickness  of  light  gray  gypsiferous 
marl  with  a  bed  of  crystallized  gypsum  four  feet  thick.  The  valley  in 
which  the  salt  springs  are  located  is  covered  with  an  efflorescence  of 
what  is  usually  called  in  this  country  "alkali."  On  the  east  side  of  the 
creek  which  runs  past  the  salt  works  is  a  high  isolated  balsatic  butte. 
About  a  fourth  of  a  mile  east  there  is  a  hill  composed  of  the  gypsiferous 
marls,  on  the  surface  of  which  are  numerous  deposits  of  calcareous  tufa, 
as  if  a  number  of  springs  had  issued  from  it  in  former  times. 

These  salt  works  are  quite  extensive  and  costly.  The  springs  are  two  in 
number,  but  the  brine  is  not  abundant  or  strong.  Salt  has  been  manu- 
factured here  in  considerable  quantities,  and  a  large  portion  of  Colorado 
has  been  supplied  with  it.  These  springs  are  very  interesting  in  a  geo- 
logical point  of  view,  though  their  origin  is  somewhat  obscure  to  me, 
yet  I  believe  they  belong  to  the  triassic  or  saliferous  sandstones. 

About  four  miles  north  of  the  salt  works  is  a  high  ridge,  inclining 
northwest  twenty  degrees,  composed  of  a  series  of  variegated  sandstones 
and  shales  three  hundred  to  four  hundred  feet  thick.  These  are,  with- 
out doubt,  the  group  which  1  have  usually  called  triassic,  or  red  beds. 
Still  further  north  we  find  them  inclining  southeast,  with  several  thin 
beds  of  blue,  very  hard,  cherty  limestone,  which  is  characteristic  of  the 
red  beds.  Near  Fairplay  the  brick-red  beds  are  well  shown.  It  seems, 
therefore,  certain  that  the  principal  sedimentary  rocks  which  are  found 
in  the  South  Park  are  triassic. 

About  ten  miles  south  of  Fairplay  several  thin  beds  of  blue,  close,  brit- 
tle limestone  appear,  intercalated  among  the  red  sandstones,  dipping  a 
little  east  of  south,  forming  a  sort  of  synclinal  5  that  is,  the  dip  is  nearly 
opposite  that  of  the  beds  near  the  salt  works.  These  limestones,  with 
the  red  sandstones,  may  possibly  be  of  permian  age.  No  fossils  could 
be  detected  in  them.  The  sandstone  is  in  some  cases  micaceous,  or 
composed  of  mica  and  small  crystals  of  quartz ;  in  others,  a  fine  aggregate 
of  worn  pebbles,  a  sort  of  fine  pudding-stone.  These  variegated  or  red 
beds  continue  close  up  to  the  eruptive  ranges  for  five  miles.  North  arid 
west  from  Fairplay  we  come  to  a  high  ridge  of  sandstone  with  a  reddish 
tinge  and  slightly  calcareous,  the  dip  being  north  of  east,  or  nearly  east, 
and  the  ridge  forming  a  marked'  line  running  nearly  north  or  south 
through  the  middle  of  the  park,  from  the  mountains  nearly  to  the  salt 
works.  Just  east  of  this  ridge  is  another  ridge  of  quartzose  sandstone  or 
cretaceous.  Then  comes  a  very  large  thickness  of  the  laminated  creta- 
ceous clays,  covering  the  country  for  about  fifteen  miles.  Near  McLaugh- 
lin's,  twelve  miles  northeast  of  Fairplay,  the  lignite  tertiary  sandstones 
and  clays  overlie  the  cretaceous  and  jut  up  against  the  mountain  side. 
About  a  mile  north  of  the  ranch  Mr.  McLaughlin  has  opened  a  coal  mine. 
He  sunk  a  shaft  eighteen  or  twenty  feet  through  a  bed  six  to  ten  feet  of 
very  impure  coalj  some  portions  of  it  can  be  used  for  fuel.  The  dip  of  the 


80  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND    NEW    MEXICO. 

coal  bed  is  forty-five  degrees  northeast  from  the  base  of  the  mountains, 
which  are  not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant.  Mr.  McLaughlin  in- 
formed me  that  he  had  found  "oak  leaves"  in  the  shale  above  the  coal. 
These  beds  occupy  the  entire  north  end  of  the  park,  and  no  older  rocks  are 
seen  between  them  and  the  eruptive  foot-hills  of  the  mountains.  It  seems, 
therefore,  that  the  source  of  the  elevating  forces  that  upheaved  these 
sedimentary  formations  was  in  the  range  of  mountains  that  form  the 
western  rim  of  the  park,  and,  so  far  as  I  could  ascertain,  there  are  no 
true  ridges  of  upheaval  on  the  eastern  side.  Exposures  of  eruptive 
rocks  are  seen  everywhere  all  over  the  park. 

There  are  several  localities  where  these  rocks  are  thrust  up  through  the 
cretaceous  and  tertiary  beds,  and  in  the  middle  and  southern  portions  of 
the  park  are  quite  lofty  isolated  buttes  and  mountains  of  eruptive  rocks. 

But  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  formations  and  greatest  in  extent 
and  importance  is  the  boulder  drift.  Tbis  seems  to  be  mostly  confined 
to  the  northern  and  northwestern  portions  of  the  park  where  the  princi- 
pal placer  diggings  occur.  In  the  valley  of  the  South  Platte,  especially 
near  Fairplay,  there  is  a  prodigious  exhibition  of  the  boulder  formation. 
The  rocks  are  well  rounded  by  attrition,  and  apparently  have  been  swept 
down  from  the  mountains.  Wherever  the  drift  occurs,  there  are  long 
table  lands  or  terraces,  especially  in  the  vicinity  of  the  little  streams,  and 
they  seem  to  be  planed  down  with  such  wonderful  smoothness  that  it  must 
have  been  done  by  the  combined  action  of  water  and  ice. 

Along  the  west  and  north  sides  of  the  park  are  a  large  number  of  lofty 
eruptive  peaks,  which  seem  to  me  old  volcanic  cones.  One  of  the  peaks  in 
the  range  west  of  Fairplay  seems  to  have  a  crater-like  summit,  the  rim 
broken  down  on  the  east  side.  All  around  the  inside  of  the  remainder  of 
the  rim  the  layers  of  basalt  appear  like  strata,  inclining  from  the  opening 
in  every  direction  as  if  the  melted  material  had  been  poured  out  and  had 
flowed  over  the  sides  in  regular -strata.  There  are  also  tremendous 
furrows  down  the  sides  of  others.  In  the  mountains  n6rth  of  the  park 
are  huge  depressions  in  these  volcanic  ranges,  the  sides  of  which 
are  quite  red,  as  if  they  had  been  in  active  operation  at  a  comparatively 
modern  period.  I  am,  therefore,  inclined  to  believe  that  the  magnificent 
range  of  mountains  on  the  west  side  of  the  Arkansas  Eiver,  extending 
far  northward,  is  one  series  of  old  volcanic  cones.  As  we  leave  the 
plains  and  ascend  the  mountains  at  the  northeast  side  of  the  park,  we 
pass  immediately  from  the  older  tertiary  beds,  covered  thickly  with  drift, 
to  the  metainorphic  rocks  mingled  with  outbursts  of  eruptive  rock.  To- 
ward the  summit  there  was  a  great  series  of  gneissic  beds  of  all  varieties 
and  textures.  All  these  mountains  east  of  the  park  have  a  gneissic  and 
granitic  nucleus.  As  we  descend  the  valley  of  a  small  branch  of  the 
Korth  Fork  of  the  South  Platte  from  the  Kenosha  House,  we  pass  down 
a  monoclinal  rift.  On  the  west  side  is  the  slope  covered  with  a  thick 
growth  of  pine  and  spruce,  while  on  the  left  side  are  the  projecting  edges 
of  the  massive  red  feldspathic  granites  with  two  sets  of  cleavage  lines; 
the  vertical  with  a  strike  northeast  arid  southwest,  and  the  other  inclin- 
ing at  an  angle  of  thirty  degrees  j  the  strike,  southeast  and  northwest ; 
while  the  bedding  inclines  with  the  hills.  The  bedding  is  so  regular 
and  massive  that  it  looks  like  massive  sandstone  stratification.  The 
Platte,  with  all  its  little  branches,  flows  through  these  rifts  or  intervals 
between  the  ridges ;  one  side  of  the  stream,  a  plain  gradual  slope ;  the 
other,  extremely  abrupt,  with  the  rugged  ends  of  the  gneissic  or  granitic 
rocks  projecting  out  in  a  most  remarkable  manner.  After  passing 
along  massive  granite  walls  about  five  miles,  we  go  through  four  or  five 
miles  of  singularly  banded  gneiss,  and  then  massive  granite  again  of 


SURVEY    OF    COLORADO   AND    NEW   MEXICO.  81 

every  degree  of  texture,  from  a  fine,  close  feldspathic  rock  with  no  mica, 
to  a  coarse  aggregate  of  quartz  and  feldspar  and  fine  particles  of  mica. 
One  of  the  interesting  features  of  these  mountains  is  the  fact  that  all 
the  little  streams  find  their  way  through  these  monoclinal  valleys.  We 
see  also  the  main  axis  of  the  range,  composed  of  massive  granite  with  a 
distinct  bedding,  which  is  sometimes  inclined  and  sometimes  horizontal 
with  the  banded  gneiss  inclining  from  each  side.  It  seems  quite  clear 
that  each  one  of  these  great  ranges  of  mountains  is  a  grand  anticlinal 
with  a  massive  granite  axis,  with  the  gneissic  granites  inclining  from  each 
side  in  the  form  of  ridges,  among  which  the  various  streams  find  their  way. 
The  trend  of  these  ranges  is  in  the  most  cases  northwest  and  southeast, 
or  nearly  so.  Some  of  the  gneissic  rocks  in  the  Platte  Valley  look  like 
laminated  sandstone  with  a  regular  dip  eighteen  to  thirty  degrees* 
The  tops  of  the  highest  ranges  are,  in  some  cases,  covered  very  thickly 
with  loose  fragments  of  rocks. 

Passing  down  from  the  junction  to  Denver  we  have  some  of  the  finest 
examples  of  jointage  structure  in  the  gneissic  rocks  that  I  have  ever 
seen ;  there  are  two  lines  of  fracture— one  with  a  direction  northeast  and 
southwest,  the  other  northwest  and  southeast,  with  the  lines  of  bed- 
ding— making  a  fine  study  for  the  geologist.  Some  of  the  beds  are  thus 
broken  into  nearly  square  blocks,  and  others  in  diamond-shaped  masses. 

On  reaching  the  base  of  the  mountains  the  usual  ridges  of  sediment- 
ary rocks  are  passed  over — red  beds,  Jurassic,  cretaceous,  and  tertiary. 
The  tertiary  beds  commence  within  a  mile  of  the  foot  of  the  mountains, 
soon  becoming  horizontal  in  their  position,  and  before  reaching  Denver 
they  are  scarcely  seen  on  account  of  the  superficial  deposit  of  drift  and 
alluvial  which  covers  them. 


CHAPTER  X. 
TRIP  TO   MIDDLE   PARK. 

Our  route  to  the  Middle  Park  wasv  through  the  Berthoud  Pass,  from 
the  valley  of  Clear  Creek.  The  range  of  mountains  in  which  the  pass 
is  located  is  composed  of  gneissic  rocks — as  are  all  the  ranges  in  the 
mining  districts.  The  ascent  was  very  steep  on  the  south  side,  up  to  the 
region  of  perpetual  snow;  but  the  descent  on  the  north  side  is  quite 
gradual. 

Great  quantities  of  loose  materials  from  the  basis  rocks  are  scattered 
thickly  over  the  summits,  of  every  variety  of  the  metamorphic  class. 
Most  of  the  peaks  are  well  rounded,  and  covered  with  soil  and  vegeta- 
tion. Grass  and  flowers  grow  far  up  above  the  limits  of  arborescent 
vegetation.  As  we  ascend,  the  pines,  spruces,  and  cedars  dwindle  down 
in  size  until  they  become  recumbent  and  trail  on  the  ground.  Some  of 
the  highest  peaks  are  very  sharp  and  covered  with  loose  rocks,  as  if  only 
the  usual  atmospheric  influences  had  ever  affected  them.  Their  sides 
are  often  massive  escarpments  of  rocks  down  which  an  infinite  quantity 
of  fragments  have  fallen,  making  a  vast  amount  of  debris  at  the  base. 
Of  course  their  rocky  sides  are  entirely  free  from  vegetation,  and  the 
oxide  of  iron  gives  them  a  rusty  reddish  appearance.  One  mountain  at 
the  head  of  Clear  Creek  is  called  Bed  Mountain,  from  the  fact  that  the 
rocks  have  a  bright  red  color  in  the  distance.  The  evidences  of  the  out- 
pouring of  igneous  rocks  in  this  mountain  are  very  marked;  indeed,  it 
may  be  called  an  eruptive  range. 


82  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

From  the  summit  of  Berthoud's  Pass,  at  a  height  of  eleven  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  sixteen  feet,  we  can  look  northward  along  the  line  of 
the  main  range,  which  gradually  flexes  around  to  the  northwest,  while 
the  little  streams  seem  to  flow  through  the  rifts.  The  general  appear- 
ance of  the  western  slope  of  this  great  range  would  indicate  that  it  is  a 
huge  anticlinal  composed  of  a  series  of  ranges  on  each  side  of  a  common 
axis,  and  then  smaller  ranges  ascend  like  steps  to  the  central  axis.  The 
western  side  of  this  ridge  slopes  gently,  while  the  eastern  side  projects 
over  abruptly.  This  main  range  also  forms  a  narrow  dividing  line,  or 
"  water-divide,"  between  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific.  I  stood 
where  the  waters  of  each  side  were  only  a  few  feet  apart,  and  felt  a  real 
joy  in  passing  down  the  western  slope  of  the  mountain  by  the  side  of  a 
pure  crystal  stream  whose  waters  were  hastening  on  to  the  g'reat  Pacific. 

All  down  the  western  slope  is  a  great  thickness  of  superficial  material, 
loose  sand,  decomposing  feldspar,  with  partially  worn  rocks  of  all  sizes. 
This  is  due  quite  evidently  to  local  influences,  ice  and  water  wearing 
down  the  sides  of  the  mountains  and  depositing  the  material  adhering 
to  the  masses  of  ice  along  the  slopes. 

The  springs  of  water  are  very  numerous,  and  the  water  seems  to  col- 
lect in  the  thick  grass  and  moss-covered  earth,  forming  large  bogs.  It 
is  also  interesting  to  watch  the  growth  of  a  stream  from  its  source,  re- 
ceiving in  its  way  the  waters  of  myriads  of  springs,  until  it  becomes  a 
river  too  formidable  to  ford  easily.  The  little  stream  which  rises  in  the 
pass  we  followed  to  the  Park,  where  it  is  fifty  yards  wide,  and  contains 
an  abundance  of  fine  trout.  * 

The  Middle  Park  is  really  made  up  of  a  number  of  smaller  parks, 
which  are  somewhat  independent  of  each  other.  Each  one  may  present 
different  geological  formations.  The  little  park  on  the  south  side,  which 
we  first  enter,  is  a  very  beautiful  one.  The  grass  is  luxuriant,  and  the 
timber  excellent.  None  of  the  older  sedimentary  rocks  were  seen  along 
the  flanks  of  the  mountains,  but  a  recent  tertiary  deposit  seemed  to 
cover  the  country.  On  the  east  side  of  Fraser  Creek  there  is  a  long, 
high  ridge,  which  is  cut  by  the  stream  in  several  places,  formed  of  the 
white  and  yellow  sands  and  marls  which  mark  the  pliocene  tertiary  on 
the  east  side  of  the  mountain.  I  have  no  doubt  that  it  is  a  formation 
of  the  same  kind  as  that  of  the  Arkansas  marls,  and  cotemporaueous 
with  it. 

Along  this  creek  there  are  some  massive  walls  of  this  formation,  mostly 
yellow  marls,  but  some  layers  of  sandstone.  This  ridge  extends  from 
the  mountains  far  northward,  and  is  about  two  miles  wide:  and  between 
it  and  the  immediate  base  of  the  mountains  is  situated  a  beautiful  valley 
of  considerable  width. 

The  Middle  Park  is  apparently  a  quaquaversal,  surrounded  by  the  lofty 
snowy  ranges ;  and  the  lower  ranges  descending  like  steps  to  the  valley 
which  constitutes  the  true  park.  The  park  does  not  appear  to  be  more 
than  from  ten  to  twenty  miles  wide  from  east  to  west,  and  from  fifty  to 
sixty  long  from  north  to  south.  In  this  park  also  the  ranges  of  moun- 
tains so  surround  it  that  the  slopes  seem  to  form  a  sort  of  quaquaversal 
inclining  toward  a  common  center. 

Viewed  from  Middle  Park,  Long's  Peak,  and  the  range  immediately 
connected  with,  has  a  rugged,  saw-like  edge,  as  if  composed  of  eruptive 
rocks,  and  ridge  after  ridge  inclines  from  it  in  regular  order. 

About  ten  miles  north  of  our  camp,  in  the  first  park,  we  come  to  low 
ridges  of  massive  red  feldspathic  granite,  and  parallel  with  these  granite 
ridges  are  a  series  of  sedimentary  beds,  commencing  with  the  brick-red 
beds.  The  strike  is  nearly  north  and  south,  and  the  dip  west.  These 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO.  83 

ridges  are  all  so  grassed  over  that  the  true  nature  of  the  underlying 
rocks  is  not  easily  determined.  Then  comes  ridge  after  ridge  until  all 
the  beds — -Jurassic  and  cretaceous — are  shown. 

On  this  stream  we  have  a  fine  system  of  terraces.  On  the  north  side 
are  three  distinct  terraces  above  the  bottom,  and  the  lowest  one  has  a 
bed  of  cretaceous  sandstone,  nearly  horizontal,  cropping  out  at  its  base. 
This  is  a  low  one,  not  more  than  fifteen  feet  high;  the  next  one  is  fifty 
feet  high,  and  the  third,  which  descends  from  the  high  hills,  is  two  hun- 
dred feet.  A  little  west  of  south,  at  the  junction  of  Grand  liiver  with 
Eraser  Creek,  five  high  peaks  are  visible,  which  form  in  that  direction 
a  part  of  the  main  range.  All  around  us,  in  every  direction,  we  could 
see  the  snowy  peaks,  and  the  beds  which  form  the  ridges  of  upheaval 
inclining  in  every  direction. 

To  the  south  of  the  park  the  older  sedimentary  rocks  dip  north  in 
lofty  ridges,  at  least  two  thousand  feet  high,  presenting  high  escarp- 
ments when  split  by  streams,  and  reaching  almost  the  highest  margin 
of  the  mountains. 

About  ten  miles  above  the  hot  springs,  Grand  Eiver  flows  through  an 
enormous  gorge  cut  through  a  high  ridge  of  basalt,  which  seems  to  be 
an  intrusive  bed,  for  above  and  below,  the  sedimentary  rocks  are  well 
shown,  but  partially  changed.  Underneath  are  the  cretaceous  shales  of 
Nos.  4  and  5,  and  above  are  the  lignite  tertiary  beds.  These  beds  all 
dip  west  twenty-three  degrees. 

These  eruptive  rocks  are  very  rough,  as  if  they  had  been  poured  out 
without  much  pressure.  Much  of  it  is  a  very  coarse  conglomerate,  the 
inclosed  masses  appearing  to  be  the  same  kind  as  the  paste;  that  is,  orig- 
inally, of  igneous  origin.  Some  of  the  inclosed  rocks  are  very  compact, 
close,  and  all  were,  more  or  less  worn  before  being  inclosed.  This  rock 
is  a  true  dolorite.  I  did  not  see  any  inclosed  masses  that  I  could  call 
unchanged.  This  basalt  extends  a  great  distance,  continuing  a  nearly 
uniform  thickness,  and  inclining  in  the  same  direction  with  the  cretaceous 
beds  below  and  the  tertiary  beds  above. 

On  both  sides  of  Grand' Kiver,  but  especially  on  the  east  and  north- 
east sides,  extending  up  nearly  to  the  foot  of  Long's  Peak,  are  quite 
large  exposures  of  the  recent  tertiary  beds.  They  are  nearly  horizontal, 
and  have  much  the  appearance  in  color  of  the  Fort  Bridger  beds,  of 
which  Church  Buttes  is  an  example.  These  beds  are  composed,  for  the 
most  part;  of  fine  sand  and  marl,  but  there  are  a  few  small  rounded 
boulders  scattered  through  it.  Below  the  gorge,  on  the  north  side  of 
Grand  Kiver,  these  outflows  of  basalt  have  formed  some  well-defined 
mesas ;  at  least  three  beds  ascending  like  steps  from  the  river.  Below 
the  gorge  the  river  flows  through  what  seems  to  be  a  rift  of  basalt,  that 
is,  on  the  north  side.  The  basalt  lies  in  horizontal  beds,  but  on  the  south 
side  is  the  sloping  side  of  a  basaltic  ridge.  The  dip  is  nearly  northwest, 
though  the  trend  of  this  basaltic  ridge  is  by  no  means  regular.  One 
portion  of  it  has  a  strike  northwest  and  southeast,  and  another  north 
and  south.  The  tertiary  rocks  reach  a  great  thickness,  and  are  elevated 
high  up  on  the  top  of  the  basaltic  ridge,  eight  hundred  to  one  thousand 
feet  above  the  river.  They  are  mostly  formed  of  fine  sandstone  and  pud- 
ding-stone. These  fine  sandstones  contain  some  well-marked  impres- 
sions of  deciduous  leaves,  among  which  are  good  specimens  of  Platanus 
haydeni.  On  the  north  side  of  Grand  Eiver,  in  some  localities,  the  tertiary 
beds  are  elevated  so  high,  on  many  of  the  eruptive  mountains,  that  they 
are  covered  with  perpetual  snow.  These  eruptive  beds  are  certainly 
among  the  most  remarkable  examples  of  the  overflow  of  igneous  matter 
that  I  have  ever  seen  in  the  West. 


84  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

At  one  locality  I  saw  a  remarkable  intrusive  layer  between  the  red  or 
variegated  beds  Avhich  are  supposed  to  be  triassic  and  the  Jurassic.  It 
is  a  very  compact,  heavy  syenite,  and  forms  a  ridge  of  upheaval,  and 
dips  in  the  same  direction  and  »t  the  same  angle  with  the  unchanged 
beds  above  and  below. 

About  four  miles  below  the  first  basaltic  caiion  on  Grand  Eiver, 
apparently  the  same  ridge  comes  close  to  the  river  again.  On  the  north 
side  there  is  a  high  basaltic  uplift,  which  shows  well  marked  lines  of 
stratification,  as  if  the  melted  material  had  been  poured  out  in  thin  reg- 
ular sheets  or  layers.  The  dip  is  about  north.  In  many  places  the 
entire  mass  is  made  up  of  a  coarse  conglomerate,  and  has  the  peculiar 
steel  color  which  seems  to  characterize  modern  eruptive  rocks.  The  dip 
of  this  basaltic  ridge,  at  this  point,  is  thirty-six  degrees.  On  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  river  there  is  an  isolated  portion  cut  off  from  the  main 
ridge,  with  a  dip  about  south  or  southeast  twenty-four  degrees. 

Continuing  our  way  west  down  Grand  Eiver  we  pass  over  a  series  of 
upturned  ridges  of  sedimentary  rocks,  inclining  in  the  same  direction 
with  the  basaltic  ridge  trending  parallel  with  it,  composed  of  cre- 
taceous and  older  tertiary  beds.  Looking  eastward  from  the  Grand 
Canon,  below  the  hot  springs,  this  remarkable  basaltic  ridge  seems  to 
form  a  semi-circle  with  a  general  dip  about  north. 

Immediately  below  the  hot  springs  the  Grand  Canon  commences, 
and  the  river  cuts  its  way  through  an  upheaved  ridge  of  massive 
feldspathic  granite  for  three  miles  between  walls  from  one  thousand  to 
one  thousand  five  hundred  feet  high.  The  south  side  is  somewhat  sloping 
and  covered  thickly  with  pines,  while  the  north  side  is  extremely  rugged, 
the  immense  projecting  masses  of  granite  forbidding  any  vegetation  to 
gain  a  foothold.  It  would  seem  that  the  river  had  Worn  its  way  through 
a  sort  of  rift  in  the  granite,  but  at  the  upper  end  it  has  cut  through  the 
uplifted  sedimentary  ridges  nearly  at  right  angles.  In  some  places  the 
north  side  is  gashed  out  in  a  wonderfully  picturesque  manner,  so  that 
isolated  columns  and  peaks  are  left  standing,  while  all  the  intermediate 
portions  have  been  worn  away.  This  granite  ridge  will  average  perhaps 
five  miles  in  width,  and  extends  an  unknown  distance  across  the  park 
northeast  and  southwest,  and  it  is  from  the  southeast  side  that  the 
ridges  of  upheaval  above  described  incline. 

The  granite  ridge  seems  to  form  a  sort  of  abrupt  anticlinal.  On  the 
southeast  side  the  rocks  are  all  bare  or  covered  with  a  superficial  deposit 
of  recent  tertiary  marls.  None  of  the  older  unchanged  rocks  are  seen 
on  this  side,  but  the  modern  sands  and  sandstones  are  exposed  in  a 
horizontal  position  in  the  channel  of  the  river. 

The  hot  springs  are  located  on  the  right  bank  of  Grand  Eiver,  at  the 
juncture  of  the  sedimentary  rocks  with  the  granites.  Just  east  of  the 
springs  is  a  high  hill,  Mount  Bross,  one  thousand  to  one  thousand  two 
hundred  feet  above  Grand  Eiver,  which  seems  to  be  composed  mostly  of 
the  older  tertiary  strata,  alternate  yellow  and  gray  sandstones,  and  lamin- 
ated arenaceous  shaly  clays.  The  whole  is  so  grassed  over  that  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  take  a  section.  The  beds  incline  east  of  north  at  a  small  angle. 
I  regard  the  beds  as  of  the  age  of  the  coal  formations  of  the  West,  older 
tertiary.  I  found  excellent  impressions  of  deciduous  leaves,  among 
which  are  those  of  the  genus  Magnolia.  Just  opposite  the  springs,  the 
left  bank  of  the  river  shows  a  perfect  section  of  all  the  layers  from 
the  cretaceous  to  the  Jurassic.  The  bank  is  not  more  than  ten 
feet  thick  above  the  water,  and  yet  it  shows  that  the  river  itself  rolls 
over  the  upturned  edges  of  all  these  beds. 


SURVEY   OP   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO.  85 

The  section  in  descending  order  is  as  follows: 

1.  Tertiary  strata  forming  the  greater  part  of  the  hill  known  as  Mount 
Bross. 

2.  Gray  laminated  sandstones  passing  down  into   arenaceous  clays 
with  Baculites  ovatus,  &c. 

3.  Black  clays  of  No.  4.   vThese  are  of  great  thickness  and  every  variety 
of  texture.    As  shown  in  a  cut  bank  of  the  river  it  is  yellow  arena- 
ceous clay  with  layers  of  sandstone,  in  which  the  impressions  of  deciduous 
leaves  were  observed.    These  layers  project  up,  a  distance  along  the 
bank,  of  seventy  paces. 

4.  Dark  plastic  clay  with  cone  in  cone,  seams  of  impure  clay,  iron  ore. 
Then  comes  an  interval  in  which  no  layers  could  be  seen,  sufficient  to 
include  No.  3 — two  hundred  and  fifty  paces. 

5.  Dark  steel-black  laminated  slate,  with  numerous  fish  scales ;  dip, 
twenty-seven  degrees.    This  slate  passes  down  into  alternate  layers  of 
rusty  sandstone  and  shaly  clay. 

In  the  upper  bed  of  sandstone  and  shaly  clay  are  obscure  vegetable 
impressions,  leaves,  stems,  nuts,  &c.,  evidently  deciduous.  In  the  upper 
bed  of  sandstones  are  two  or  three  thin  seams  of  carbonaceous  shale,  and 
the  intervening  layers  of  sandstone  are  almost  made  up  of  bits  of  vegetable 
matter.  Toward  the  lower,  it  becomes  a  hard  mud  rock  passing  down 
into  rusty  yellow  sandstone  with  all  sorts  of  mud  markings.  Then  comes 
a  bed  of  bluish  plastic  clay  with  sulphur  and  oxide  of  iron  ;  dip,  thirty- 
three  degrees.  Then  rusty  fine-grained  gray  sandstone  passing  down 
into  a  very  close  massive  pudding-stone,  composed  of  very  smooth 
nicely-rounded  pebbles,  cemented  with  silica.  This  stone  would  be 
most  excellent  for  building  material  and  is  susceptible  of  a  very  fine 
polish.  A  fracturetpasses  directly  through  the  pebbles,  the  paste  being 
harder,  if  anything,  than  the  inclosed  pebbles;  dip,  thirty-one  degrees. 
This  is  a  very  thick  bed  and  is  a  portion  of  No.  1,  cretaceous,  or  a  sort  of 
transition  bed  between  the  cretaceous  and  the  Jurassic. 

The  red  and  variegated  beds  lie  fairly  upon  the  gneissic  granites,  and 
although  they  are  shown  very  obscurely  here,  yet  I  think  they  must 
exist,  inasmuch  as  they  are  so  well  revealed  not  more  than  fifteen  miles 
east  of  this  point,  so  that  I  have  no  doubt  they  are  lost  beneath  the  mass 
of  superincumbent  material.  I  think  the  light-colored  clays  lying  under- 
neath the  bed  of  chalky  clay,  are  •Jurassic.  There  is  a  bed  of  fine 
gritty  clay  underneath  the  pudding-stone  which  would  make  excellent 
hones. 

In  the  intercalated  sandstones  above  the  pudding-stones  are  plants 
just  like  those  observed  in  No.  1  at  Sioux  City,  on  the  Missouri  Eiver, 
and  the  composition  of  the  strata  is  the  same;  there  is  a  Salix,  a  con- 
iferous plant,  the  cones  of  a  pine,  &c. 

I  have  given  this  detailed  description  of  the  cretaceous  rocks  to  show 
the  exceeding  variableness  of  their  texture,  and  also  to  call  the  atten- 
tion of  scientific  men,  who  may  hereafter  visit  this  interesting  locality, 
which  will  soon  become  celebrated,  to  a  section  of  the  rock  through 
which  the  waters  of  the  spring  must  pass  in  reaching  the  surface.  Now 
in  whatever  rocks  these  springs  may  originate,  the  water  must  pass  a 
long  distance  through  the  almost  vertical  strata  of  the  cretaceous  period, 
in  the  sediments  of  which  are  found  in  other  localities  nearly  all  and 
perhaps  all  the  mineral  constituents  found  in  these  springs.  The  deposits 
around  these  springs  are  very  extensive.  No  analysis  has  as  yet  been 
made,  but  large  masses  of  gypsum  and  native  sulphur  can  be  taken  out 
at  any  time  from  the  sides  of  the  large  basin-like  depression  into  which 


86  SURVEY    OP   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

the  water  flows.    They  are  properly  "  Hot  Sulphur  Springs,"  varying  in 
temperature  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  and  twelve  degrees. 

About  fifteen  miles  west  of  the  springs  is  the  valley  of  the  Troublesome 
Creek,  a  small  branch  of  the  Grand  Kiver,  flowing  from  the  basaltic 
mountains  on  the  northern  side  of  the  park. 

I  visited  this  region  under  the  guidance  of  Mr.  Sumner,  an  old  resident 
of  the  park.  The  surface  of  the  country  along  our  road  was  strewn  with 
eruptive  rocks.  We  saw  several  localities  where  the  basaltic  rocks 
protruded,  and  one  place  in  Corral  Creek,  about  eight  miles  west  of 
Grand  Bi\7er,  whore  the  little  stream  has  cut  a  deep  channel  through 
the  red  granites.  The  older  tertiary  beds  appear  from  time  to  time. 

Troublesome  Canon,  at'  the  head  of  the  creek  bearing  this  name,  is 
entirely  basaltic,  and  the  rugged  walls  not  only  of  the  main  stream  but 
also  of  the  little  branches,  form  a  most  picturesque  view. 

Below  the  canon,  the  valley  of  Troublesome  Creek,  and  also  that  of 
Grand  Eiver  near  the  junction,  is  occupied  by  belts  of  modern  tertiary 
sands  and  marls  like  those  observed  at  the  entrance  to  the  park,  by 
Berthoud's  Pass.  Where  the  little  stream  cuts  the  terraces,  horizontal 
strata  of  whitish  and  flesh-colored  sands  and  marls  are  exposed.  I  looked 
in  vain  for  fossils  and  found  only  specimens  of  silicified  wood.  There 
are  cold  sulphur  springs  in  this  valley.  All  through  the  park,  the 
benches  or  terraces  are  conspicuous  in  the  vicinity  of  streams,  as  at  the 
base  of  mountain  ranges.  In  the  park  through  which  Frazer's  Creek 
flows,  these  benches  or  terraces  are  most  beautifully  carved  out  from  the 
modern  marls. 

I  regret  that  my  visit  to  the  Middle  Park  was  so  short  that  I  could 
not  explore  the  entire  area  with  care,  for  few  districts  in  the  W^est  can 
afford  more  material  of  geological  interest,  and  an^entire  season  could 
be  spent  studying  its  geology  and  geography  with  great  profit. 

The  agricultural  resources  of  the  Middle  Park  are  as  yet  unknown.  £To 
attempt  has  been  made  to  cultivate  any  portion  of  it.  Grass  and  graz- 
ing are  excellent  and  the  soil  good,  and  if  the  climate  will  permit,  all 
kinds  of  garden  vegetables  could  be  raised  in  abundance,  and  some 
varieties  of  the  cereals.  Timber  is  abundant  both  for  lumber  and  fuel. 

In  summing  up  the  geology  of  the  Middle  Park,  we  find  that  all  the 
sedimentary  rocks  known  in  this  country  are  found  there.  I  did  not  see 
any  beds  that  I  could  define  as  carboniferous,  but  the  triassic,  Jurassic, 
cretaceous,  and  tertiary  are  well  developed.  I  have  no  doubt  as  to  the 
existence  of  true  carboniferous  limestones  in  the  Middle  Park. 

The  tertiary  deposits  of  this  region  may  be  divided  into  two  groups, 
viz,  the  lignite  or  older  tertiary,  and  the  modern  pliocene  marls  and 
sands  which  seem  common  to  the  parks  and  mountain  valleys.  The  for- 
mer conform  perfectly  to  the  older  beds,  while  the  latter  seldom  incline 
more  than  three  to  five  degrees,  and  do  not  conform  to  the  older  rocks. 
The  marl  group  is  undoubtedly  contemporaneous  with  the  Arkansas  and 
Sante  Fe  marls. 

The  geological  structure  of  the  Middle  Park  is  more  varied,  compli 
cated,  and  instructive  than  that  of  any  other  of  the  parks. 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO.  87 

CHAPTER  XI. 
THE    GOLD    AND    SILVER     MINES    OF    COLORADO. 

I  will  confine  my  remarks  mostly  to  the  geological  features  connected 
with  these  mines,  inasmuch  as  Mr.  Frazer,  in  his  report  appended,  has 
fully  treated  this  subject. 

The  gold  and  silver  lodes  of  this  Territory,  so  far  as  they  are  observed, 
are  entirely  composed  of  the  gneissic  and  granite  rocks,  possibly  rocks  of 
the  age  of  the  Laurentian  series  of  Canada.  At  any  rate,  all  the  gold- 
bearing  rocks  about  Central  City  are  most  distinctly  gneissic,  while  those 
containing  silver  at  Georgetown  are  both  gneissic  and  granitic.  The 
mountains  in  which  the  Baker,  Brown,  Coin,  Terrible,  and  some  other 
rich  lodes  are  located,  is  composed  mostly  of  gneissic  and  reddish  feld- 
spathic  granite,  while  the  Leaven  worth  and  McClellan  Mountains, 
equally  rich  in  silver,  are  composed  of  banded  gneiss,  with  the  lines  of 
bedding  or  stratification  very  distinct. 

There  is  an  important  question  that  suggests  itself  to  one  attempting 
to  study  the  mines  of  Colorado,  and  that  is  the  cause  of  the  wonderful 
parallelism  of  the  lodes,  the  greater  portion  of  them  taking  one  general 
direction  or  strike,  northeast  and  southwest.  We  must  at  once  regard 
the  cause  as  deep-seated  and  general,  for  we  find  that  most  of  the  veins 
or  lodes  are  true  fissures  and  do  not  diminish  in  richness  as  they  are 
sunk  deeper  into  the  earth.  All  these  lodes  have  more  or  less  clearly 
defined  walls,  and  some  of  them  are  quite  remarkable  for  their  smooth- 
ness and  regularity.  We  assume  the  position  that  the  filling  up  of  all 
these  lodes  or  veins  with  mineral  matter  was  an  event  subsequent  to 
any  change  that  may  have  occurred  in  the  country  rock.  Now,  if  we 
look  carefully  at  all  the  azoic  rocks  in  this  region  we  shall  find  more  or 
less  distinctly  defined,  depending  upon  the  structure  of  the  rock  itself, 
two  planes  of  cleavage,  one  of  them  with  a  strike  northeast  and  south- 
west, and  the  other  southeast  and  northwest.  Beside  these  two  sets 
of  cleavage  planes  there  are  in  most  cases  distinct  lines  of  bedding. 
The  question  arises,  what  relation  do  these  veins  hold  to  these  lines  of 
cleavage  ?  Is  it  not  possible  that  they  occupy  these  cleavage  openings 
as  lines  of  greatest  weakness  ? 

I  have  taken  the  direction  of  these  two  sets  of  cleavage  planes  many 
times  with  a  compass,  over  a  large  area,  and  very  seldom  do  they  diverge 
to  any  great  extent  from  these  two  directions,  northeast  and  southwest 
or  southeast  and  northwest.  In  some  instances  the  northwest  and  south- 
east plane  would  flex  around  so  as  to  strike  north  and  south,  and  the  other 
one  so  as  to  trend  east  and  west,  but  this  is  quite  seldom,  and  never  occurs 
unless  there  has  been  some  marked  disturbance  of  the  rocks.  There  are, 
however,  a  few  lodes  which  are  called  "  east  and  west  lodes,"  and  some, 
"  north  and  south."  A  few  have  a  strike  northwest  and  southeast,  but 
are  generally  very  narrow  and  break  off  from  the  northeast  and  south- 
west lodes,  are  very  rich  fora  time  and  then  "pinch"  out.  It  would 
seem  therefore  quite  possible  that  the  northeast  and  southwest  veins 
took  the  lines  of  cleavage  in  that  direction  as  lines  of  greatest  weakness, 
and  that  the  northwest  and  southeast  lines  cross  the  other  set,  and 
that  a  portion  of  the  mineral  material  might  accumulate  in  that  cleavage 
fissure.  I  merely  throw  out  this  as  a  hint  at  this  time,  which  I  wish  to  fol- 
io w  out  in  my  future  studies.  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  the  problem  of 
the  history  of  the  Eocky  Mountain  ranges  is  closely  connected  with 
these  two  great  sets  of  cleavage  lines.  As  I  have  before  stated,  my  own 
observations  point  to  the  conclusion  that  the  general  strike  of  the  met- 


88  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO. 

amorpliic  ranges  of  mountains  is  northwest  and  southeast,  and  that  the 
eruptive  trend  northeast  and  southwest.  The  dikes  that  sometimes 
extend  long  distances  across  the  plains,  in  all  cases  trend  northeast  and 
southwest,  or  occasionally  east  and  west.  The  purely  eruptive  ranges 
of  the  northern  portion  of  the  San  Luis  Valley  seem  to  be  composed 
of  a  series  of  minor  ranges  "  en  echelon"  with  a  trend  northeast  and 
southwest.  But  as  soon  as  this  range  joins  on  to  a  range  with  a  meta- 
inorphic  or  granitic  nucleus,  the  trend  changes  around  to  northwest  and 
southeast.  Many  of  the  ranges  have  a  nucleus  of  metamorphic  rocks 
though  the  central  and  highest  portions  may  be  composed  of  eruptive 
peaks  and  ridges.  In  this  case  the  igneous  material  is  thrust  up  in  lines 
of  the  same  direction  as  the  trend.  It  becomes  therefore  evident  that 
all  the  operations  of  the  eruptive  forces  were  an  event  subsequent  to 
the  elevation  of  the  raetamorphic  nucleus.  This  is  shown  in  hundreds 
of  instances  in  Southern  Colorado  and  New  Mexico,  where  the  eruptive 
material  is  oftentimes  forced  out  over  the  inetarnorphic  rocks,  conceal- 
ing them  over  large  areas. 

All  over  the  mining  districts  are  well-marked  anticlinal,  synclinal,  and 
what  I  have  called  monoclinal  valleys.  Nearly  all  the  little  streams  flow 
a  portion  or  all  their  way  through  these  monoclinal  valleys  or  rifts.  In 
most  cases  the  streams  pass  along  these  rifts  from  source  to  mouth,  but 
occasionally  burst  through  the  upheaved  rid-ges  at  right  angles,  and 
resuming  its  course  again  in  some  monoclinal  opening.  There  are  a  few 
instances  of  these  streams  flowing  along  anticlinal  valleys,  and  by  anyone 
these  remarks  will  be  at  once  understood  by  studying  the  myriad  little 
branches  of  Clear  Creek  or  South  Platte,  which  flow  for  long  distances 
through  the  mining  districts. 

In  these  valleys  are  oftentimes  accumulated  immense  deposits  of 
modern  drift.  Sometimes  there  are  proofs  that  these  valleys  have  been 
gorged  for  a  time,  and  a  bed  of  very  coarse  gravel  and  boulders  will  ac- 
cumulate, hundreds  of  feet  in  thickness.  Near  Georgetown  there  is  a  fine 
example  of  this  modern  drift  action. 

It  would  seem  that  the  valley  of  that  branch  of  Clear  Creek,  in  which 
the  Brown  and  Terrible  silver  lodes  are  located,  was  gorged  at  one  time, 
perhaps,  with  masses  of  ice,  and  the  fine  sand  and  coarse  materials 
accumulated  against  the  gorge,  and  at  a  subsequent  period  the  creek 
wore  a  new  channel  through  this  material.  The  upper  side  of  this  drift 
deposit  is  fine  sand,  but  the  materials  grow  coarser  as  we  descend,  until, 
at  the  lower  side,  there  are  immense  irregular  or  partially  worn  masses 
of  granite.  On  the  sides  of  the  valley  the  rocks  are  often  much  smoothed 
and  grooved  as  if  by  floating  masses  of  ice.  We  assume  the  position,  of 
which  there  is  most  ample  evidence  all  over  the  Rocky  Mountain  region, 
that  at  a  comparatively  modern  geological  period  the  temperature  was 
very  much  lower  than  at  present,  admitting  of  the  accumulation  of  vast 
bodies  of  ice  on  the  summits  of  the  mountains.  The  valley  of  the  South 
Platte,  as  that  stream  flows  through  the  range  east  of  the  South  Park, 
show,  not  only  these  accumulations  of  very  coarse  boulder  drift,  but  when 
this  drift  is  stripped  off,  the  underlying  rocks  are  found  smoothed,  and, 
in  some  instances,  scratched,  as  if  by  floating  icebergs. 

In  regard  to  the  character  of  the  gold  and  silver  mines  of  Colorado, 
much  information  of  practical  value  has  been  secured,  but  my  limited 
time  will  not  permit  me  to  present  it  in  detail  in  this  preliminary  report. 

It  will  be  more  fully  elaborated  during  the  coming  winter.  I  would 
simply  remark  that  my  observations  indicate  to  me  that  the  silver  mines 
of  Georgetown  are  very  rich  and  practically  inexhaustible,  and  that, 
under  the  present  system  of  working  them,  they  are  becoming  daily 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND  NEW   MEXICO.  89 

more  and  more  important.  The  amount  of  labor  that  is  continually 
expended  in  opening  mines  and  driving  tunnels  is  immense,  and  their 
future  importance  as  a  source  of  wealth  to  the  country  greatly  in- 
creased. The  same  remarks  will  apply  to  the  gold  mines  of  Gilpin 
County.  There  are  some  remarkably  rich  lodes  which  have  yielded  the 
enterprising  miners  untold  wealth,  and  some  that  will  continue  to  do  so. 
In  the  majority  of  cases,  where  proper  management  and  economy  have 
been  employed,  the  mines  have  been  a  great  source  of  profit  to  the 
miner.  It  is  not  necessary  to  enter  into  the  causes  of  the  wonderful 
failures  and  swindling  operations  which  have  brought  Colorado  into 
such  disrepute  in  the  past.  It  is  sufficient  for  me  to  state  my  belief  that 
the  mining  districts  of  Colorado  will  yet  be  regarded  as  among  the  richest 
the  world  has  ever  known. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
REVIEW  OF  LEADING  GROUPS,  ETC. 

This  final  chapter  to  my  report,  which  I  have  added  here,  will  contain 
a  brief  review  of  the  leading  groups  of  strata  noticed  in  this  and  my 
previous  reports,  as  well  as  a  few  additional  observations  and  chemical 
analyses.  The  details  of  my  labors  will  be  presented  in  my  final  reports 
at  some  future  period. 

I  have  already  alluded  to  my  belief  that  this  western  country  during 
the  tertiary  period  was  covered  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  with  a  chain 
of  brackish  or  fresh-water  lakes  5  that  the  tertiary  period  began  its 
existence  with  brackish  water  deposits,  which  gradually  became  fresh 
water,  and  thus  continued  up  to  the  present  time.  It  is  hardly  possible 
to  synchronize  all  these  groups  of  strata  with  our  present  knowlege ; 
but  in  order  that  our  efforts  in  that  direction  may  be  facilitated,  I  have 
thought  it  best  to  give  them  specific  names,  which  may  be  regarded 
provisional  for  the  present.  Each  one  of  these  groups  will  doubtless 
afford  a  flora  and  fauna  to  a  certain  extent  peculiar  to  itself,  and  a 
greater  importance  will  be  attached  to  it  when  grouped  around  some 
specific  names. 

Proceeding  southward  from  Cheyenne  we  pass  over  the  coal  forma- 
tions of  the  tertiary  period,  which  have  already  been  called,  on  the 
Upper  Missouri,  the  Fort  Union  group.  This  group  I  regard  as  marking 
the  dawn  of  the  tertiary  age  in  the  West,  and  as  covering  a  far  more 
extended  area  than  any  other  group  of  this  epoch.  It  is  continuous 
southward  from  the  Missouri  Valley  to  Colorado,  interrupted  only  by  a 
belt  of  White  Eiver  beds  about  two  hundred  miles  wide.  I  think  these 
beds  also  extend  far  northward  into  the  British  possessions,  probably 
nearly  or  quite  to  the  Arctic  Sea. 

About  forty  miles  south  of  Denver  we  have  a  high  divide,  or  ridge, 
which  forms  a  sort  of  water-shed  between  the  Platte  and  Arkansas 
Rivers.  This  is  composed  of  a  group  of 'strata,  mostly  sandstones  and 
sands  jutting  up  against  the  mountains  in  a  slightly  disturbed  position 
and  not  conforming  to  the  older  rocks.  These  beds  are  undoubtedly 
middle  tertiary,  and  I  have  called  them  the  Monument  Creek  group. 

I  do  not  think  that  such  terms  as  eocene,  miocene,  pliocene,  &c.,  are 
at  all  applicable  to  the  tertiary  deposits  of  the  West,  and  I  therefore 
designate  them  as  lower,  middle,  and  upper  tertiary.  I  regard  all  the 
coal  beds  of  the  West  as  lower  tertiary.  It  is  true  that  some  of  these 


90  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO. 

beds  of  lignite,  or  impure  coal,  or  carbonaceous  clay,  are  found  in  groups 
of  strata  which  should  be  classed  as  middle  tertiary ;  but  these  do  not 
seem  in  any  case  to  be  of  any  economical  importance. 

Near  Hard  Scrabble  Creek,  a  small  branch  running  into  the  Arkansas 
Biver  just  below  Canon  City,  there  is  a  small  area,  about  eight  miles 
square,  occupied  by  coal  strata,  for  which  I  propose  the  provisional 
name  of  Canon  City  group.  I  have  but  little  doubt  that  careful  study 
will  show  that  it  is  a  fragment  of  the  great  lignite  group  of  the  North. 
The  next  group  comprises  the  coal  beds  of  the  Eaton  Hills,  which 
I  suspect  is  also  a  portion  of  the  great  lignite  group,  and  will  event- 
ually be  found  to  be  synchronous  with  it.  I  have  called  it  the  Eaton 
Hills  group. 

The  next  group  of  coal  strata  occurs  in  Placer  Mountains,  New  Mex- 
ico, about  thirty  miles  south  of  Santa  Fe.  The  lithological  character  of 
the  beds  or  rocks  are  very  similar  to  those  of  the  lignite  group  further 
north,  but  the  evidence  in  regard  to  their  age,  or  parallelism  with  the 
lignite  group,  is  not  so  clear.  While  I  regard  the  true  coal  beds  of  the 
West  as  lower  tertiary,  yet  these  Placer  Mountain  beds  present  the 
appearance  of  greater  antiquity  than  the  coal  beds  further  north.  Still, 
the  numerous  varieties  of  deciduous  leaves  which  I  have  obtained  from 
rocks  just  overlying  the  coal  beds  indicate  that  they  are  lower  tertiary ; 
and  with  this  belief  I  have  named  them  the  Placer  Mountain  group. 

Overlying  the  Placer  Mountain  beds,  in  the  valley  of  Gallisteo  Creek, 
is  a  vast  thickness  of  exceedingly  variegated  sands,  sandstones,  and 
calcareous  sandstones,  characterized  mostly  by  containing  an  abundance 
of  silicified  wood ;  but  no  other  fossils  have,  as  yet,  been  discovered. 
I  have  given  this  series  of  beds  the  name  of  Gallisteo  sands,  and  they 
are  doubtless  middle  tertiary. 

In  the  valley  of  the  Eio  Grande,  at  least  from  Albuquerque  to  the 
north  end  of  San  Luis  Valley,  a  series  of  marly  sands  of  a  light  color 
prevail  to  a  greater  or  less  extent.  They  exhibit  their  greatest  thick- 
ness north  of  Santa  Fe.  To  this  group  I  have  given  the  name  of  Santa 
Fe  marls ;  and  they  are  doubtless  of  the  age  of  upper  tertiary,  and 
synchronous  with  the  upper  beds  of  the  White  Eiver  group  as,  seen 
along  the  North  and  South  Forks  of  the  Platte  and  near  Cheyenne. 

In  the  valley  of  the  Arkansas,  north  of  the  Poncha  Pass,  is  a  fine 
development  of  the  light-colored  marls,  doubtless  of  the  same  age  with 
the  Santa  Fe  marls,  which  I  have  designated  by  the  name  of  the 
Arkansas  marls.  I  have  as  yet  obtained  no  well-defined  fossils  from 
either  the  Santa  Fe  or  Arkansas  marls ;  yet  bones  of  some  large  ani- 
mal, probably  mastodon  or  elephant,  have  been  found  in  them.  I  have 
no  doubt  that  more  careful  explorations  will  show  that  a  fauna  and 
flora  of  greater  or  less  extent  will  characterize  all  these  groups. 

Along  the  Union  Pacific  railroad  we  find  in  the  Laramie  Plains  a  most 
extensive  exhibition  of  the  great  lignite  group.  The  first  coal  beds  of 
great  economical  value  occur  near  Carbon  and  at  Separation.  From 
Creston  to  Bitter  Creek  there  are  a  series  of  purely  fresh-water  beds, 
with  some  beds  of  impure  lignite,  with  vast  quantities  of  fossils  be- 
longing to  the  genera  Unio,  fiZclania,  Vivipara,  Helix,  &c.  This  group  I 
regard  as  middle  tertiary,  and  the  strata  are  very  nearly  horizontal.  I 
have  regarded  these  beds  as  separated  from  the  lower  tertiary  or  true 
lignite  group,  and  have  designated  them  by  the  name  of  the  Washakee 
group.  A  little  east  of  Rock  Spring  station  a  new  group  commences, 
composed  of  thinly  laminated  chalky  shales,  which  I  have  called  the 
Green  Eiver  shales,  because  they  are  best  displayed  along  Green  Eiver. 
They  are  evidently  of  purely  fresh- water  origin,  and  of  middle  tertiary 


SURVEY   OP   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO.  91 

age.  The  layers  are  nearly  horizontal,  and,  as  shown  in  the  valley  of 
Green  Eiver,  present  a  peculiarly  banded  appearance.  When  carefully 
studied  these  shales  will  form  one  of  the  most  interesting  groups  in  the 
West.  The  flora  is  already  very  extensive,  and  the  fauna  consists  of 
MelaniaSj  Corbulas,  and  vast  quanties  of  fresh-water  fishes,  preserved  in 
much  the  same  way  as  those  in  the  Solenhofen  slates  of  Germany. 
There  are  also  numerous  insects  and  other  small  undetermined  fossils 
in  the  asphaltic  slates.  One  of  the  marked  features  of  this  group  is 
the  great  amount  of  combustible  or  petroleum  shales,  some  portions  of 
which  burn  with  great  readiness,  and  have  been  used  for  fuel  in  stoves. 

The  next  group  commences  not  far  west  of  Bryan,  and  is  doubtless  a 
prolongation  upward  of  the  Green  Eiver  shales,  and  may  be  regarded 
as  of  upper  tertiary  age. 

The  sediments  are  composed  of  more  or  less  fine  sands  and  sandstones, 
mostly  indurated,  sometimes  forming  compact  beds,  but  usually  weath- 
ering into  those  castellated  and  dome-like  forms  which  have  given  such 
celebrity  to  the  "  Bad  Lauds "  of  White  Eiver.  Church  Buttes,  near 
Fort  Bridger,  is  an  example  of  this  group,  and  shows  the  style  of 
weathering  to  which  I  refer.  I  have  called  this  series  of  beds  the 
Bridger  group,  from  the  fact  that  it  is  best  developed  in  this  region.  It 
has  already  yielded  remarkably  fine  species  of  Unio,  Melania,  Planorbis, 
Vivipara,  HeliXj  &c.,  with  a  great  variety  of  turtles  and  mammalian  re- 
mains. There  are  indications  that  when  this  group  is  thoroughly  ex- 
plored it  will  prove  to  be  second  only  to  the  "  Bad  Lands  "  of  Dakota  in 
the  richness  and  extent  of  the  vertebrate  remains. 

Immediately  west  of  Fort  Bridger  commences  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable and  extensive  groups  of  tertiary  beds  seen  in  the  West.  They 
are  wonderfully  variegated,  some  shade  of  red  predominating.  This 
group,  to  which  I  have  given  the  name  of  Wasatch  group,  is  composed 
of  variegated  sands  and  clays.  Very  little  calcareous  matter  is  found 
in  these  beds. 

In  Echo  and  Weber  Canons  are  wonderful  displays  of  conglomerates, 
fifteen  hundred  to  two  thousand  feet  in  thickness.  Although  this  group 
occupies  a  vast  area,  and  attains  a  thickness  of  three  to  five  thousand 
feet,  yet  I  have  never  known  any  remains  of  animals  to  be  found  in  it. 
I  regard  it,  however,  as  of  middle  tertiary  age. 

After  passing  Eock  Springs  station,  Union  Pacific  railroad,  the  next 
exposures  of  coal  are  at  Bear  Eiver  City,  and  at  Evanston,  and  also  at 
Coalville,  near  the  entrance  of  Echo  Creek  into  Weber  Eiver.  The  coal 
beds  at  Evanston  are  the  finest  known  in  the  West,  and  reach  a  thick- 
ness of  twenty-six  feet  at  one  locality.  These  coal  beds  seem  to  be  sep- 
arated from  those  at  Separation  and  Carbon,  and  to  present  some  feat- 
ures different  from  those  in  any  other  portion  of  the  West.  I  am  in 
doubt  as  to  their  precise  position,  but  I  am  inclined  to  regard  them  as 
of  lower  tertiary  age,  possibly  on  a  parallel  with  the  oldest  beds  of  the 
great  lignite  group  in  other  localities.  On  Bear  Eiver  we  find  several 
species  of  Ostrea,  both  above  and  below  the  coal,  and  in  a  cut  just  west 
of  Bear  Eiver  City  is  found  the  greatest  profusion  of  molluscous  life 
that  I  have  ever  seen  in  any  of  the  tertiary  beds  of  the  West.  There 
seems  here  to  be  a  mingling  of  fresh  and  brackish  water  fossils.  At 
Evanston,  impressions  of  deciduous  leaves  are  abundant  in  beds  above 
the  coal.  No  portion  of  the  fauna  seems  to  be  identical  with  anything 
found  in  other  places.  The  flora  seems  also  to  be  distinct,  although 
some  of  the  forms  may  be  identical  with  species  elsewhere.  I  have 
named  the  group  of  coal  strata  which  is  exposed  from  beneath  themid- 


92         SURVEY  OF  COLORADO  AND  NEW  MEXICO. 

die  tertiary  beds  by  upheaval  art  Bear  River  City,  Evanston,  and  Coal- 
ville,  the  Bear  Eiver  group. 

In  the  valley  of  Weber  Eiver,  from  Morgan  City  to  Devil's  Gate, 
there  is  a  thickness  of  one  thousand  to  twelve  hundred  feet  of  sands, 
sandstones,  and  marls,  of  a  light  color  for  the  most  part,  which  I  regard 
as  of  upper  tertiary  age.  These  newer  beds  must  have  not  only  occu- 
pied this  expansion  of  the  Weber  Valley,  but  also  all  of  Salt  Lake  Val- 
ley, for  remnants  of  it  are  seen  all  along  the  margins  of  the  mountains 
inclosing  Salt  Lake  Valley.  I  have  obtained  one  species  of  helix  near 
Salt  Lake  City  from  this  group,  which  very  much  resembles  a  species 
obtained  from  the  Wind  Eiver  deposits,  near  the  source  of  Wind  Eiver. 
I  found  this  series  of  beds  so  widely  extended  and  so  largely  developed 
in  Weber  Valley  and  Salt  Lake  Valley,  that  I  regard  it  as  worthy  of  a 
distinct  name,  and  in  consequence  have  called  it  the  Salt  Lake  group. 

Some  years  ago,  in  a  paper  published  in  the  proceedings  of  the  Acad- 
emy of  Natural  Sciences,  at  Philadelphia,  Mr.  Meek  and  the  writer  pro- 
posed names  for  certain  groups  of  tertiary  strata,  which  might  be  added 
to  the  list  already  given : 

First.  The  Fort  Union  or  great  lignite  group,  which  occupies  the  whole 
country  around  Fort  Union  near  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  extend- 
ing north  into  the  British  possessions  to  unknown  distances,  also  south- 
ward on  the  Missouri  Eiver  to  Fort  Clark.  It  also  extends  along  the 
eastern  flanks  of  the  mountains,  probably  to  Denver,  Colorado,  and 
perhaps  further. 

Second.  The  Wind  Eiver  deposits  are  limited,  so  far  as  we  now  know, 
to  the  Wind  Eiver  Valley.  The  sediments  are  composed  of  indurated 
sands  and  clays,  with  a  few  layers  of  sandstones  and  some  calcareous 
concretions;  and  the  prevailing  color  is  very  light  gray,  sometimes 
brown  with  reddish  bands.  The  fossils  thus  far  found  are  fragments  of 
Trionyx,  Testudo,  Helix,  Vivipara,  petrified  wood,  &c.,  doubtless  of  middle 
tertiary  age. 

Third.  The  White  Eiver  group,  best  shown  on  White  Eiver,  Dakota, 
but  covering  a  very  extended  area — at  least  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  square  miles.  The  sediments  are  composed  of  white  and  light 
drab  indurated  sanfls,  clays,  and  marls,  with  some  beds  of  sandstones 
and  limestones ;  is  purely  fresh  water,  and  remarkable  as  one  of  the 
most  wonderful  deposits  of  extinct  mammalia  on  the  globe — middle 
tertiary. 

Fourth.  The  Loup  Eiver  beds,  which  certainly  form  a  most  sin- 
gular and  remarkable  group.  They  are  composed  for  the  most  part  of 
fine,  loose  gray  or  brown  sands,  with  some  layers  of  limestone  contain- 
ing a  distinct  and  most  remarkable  fauna,  composed  of  wolves,  foxes, 
tigers,  hyenas,  camels,  horses,'  mastodons,  elephants,  &c.  There  are  also 
numerous  fresh-water  andland  shells^  perhaps  of  recent  species,  upper  ter- 
tiary. To  these  groups  might  be  added  the  Judith  Eiver  beds,  a  small  basin 
on  the  Missouri  Eiver,  near  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  about  fifteen  to 
twenty  miles  in  width  and  forty  miles  in  length.  This  group  is  probably 
of  lower  tertiary  age,  but  I  think  it  was  always  separated  from  the  great 
lignite  group.  In  my  final  report  I  hope  to  be  able  to  illustrate  each  one 
of  these  groups  by  the  organic  remains  peculiar  to  it,  and,  if  possible, 
show  the  relations  of  each  one  to  the  other  and  to  all.  Further  explo- 
rations of  the  Territories  will  reveal  many  more  of  these  lake  basins,  for 
I  am  now  convinced  that  all  over  the  great  area  west  of  the  Mississippi 
to  the  Pacific  coast  the  evidence  of  the  existence  of  these  lakes  will  be 
more  or  less  clear. 


SURVEY  OF  COLORADO  AND  NEW  MEXICO.         93 
DEPOSITS  OF  COAL  AND  IKON  ORE. 

One  of  the  most  important  problems  to  be  solved  in  the  West  is  the 
utilization  of  the  vast  quantities  of  iron  ore  which  are  scattered  all  over 
the  country  in  a  multiplicity  of  forms.  The  brown  iron  ores  accompany 
the  coal  beds  everywhere,  and  some  good  deposits  are  found  in  the  cre- 
taceous formations.  At  the  source  of  the  Chugwater  are  immense  de- 
posits of  magnetic  iron  ore  in  the  metamorphic  rocks,  which  are  prob- 
ably of  Laurentian  age,  while  at  Eawlings's  Springs  are  most  valuable 
beds  of  the  red  oxide  of  iron,  in  rocks  which  I  suppose  to  be  of  triassic 
age.  The  latter  are  evidently  local,  but  the  amount  of  iron  ore  is  con- 
siderable. 

The  following  extract  is  taken  from  the  excellent  report  of  Dr.  John 
L.  Leconte  to  the  Pacific  Eailroad  Company : 

"  Deposits  of  iron  ore  fit  for  working  are  found  in  the  sandstones  of 
the  Vermejo,  as  described  on  page  24  of  the  first  part  of  the  report.  Veins 
of  specular,  titaniferous,  and  magnetic  ore,  occur  in  the  metamorphic 
rocks  of  the  mountains;  those  near  Vegas  are  mentioned  on  page  29. 
Large  quantities  of  magnetic  iron  are  found  near  the  Ortiz  mine,  and 
beds  of  an  argillaceous  variety  occur  near  the  anthracite  of  the  Placer 
Mountain,  as  mentioned  on  page  39. 

"  Should  the  coal  be  capable  of  use  for  smelting  iron,  the  localities  of 
the  latter  will  be  found  ample  for  all  possible  demands. 

"I  have  received  from  Messrs.  Williams  and  Moss  the  following  results 
of  the  examination  of  some  iron  ores  collected  on  the  journey: 

1.  Magnetic  iron  ore,  Las  Vegas,  metallic  iron 20.43  per  cent. 

2.  Magnetic  iron  ore,  Placer  Mountain,  metallic  iron..  65.27  per  cent. 

3.  Carboniferous  iron  ore,  Vermejo  Canon 21.91  per  cent. 

4.  Carbonate  of  iron,  near  anthracite  of  Placer  Mountain  36.49  per  cent. 
I  take  the  liberty  of  introducing  in  this  connection  the  following 

extracts  from  an  article  written  by  me  and  published  in  Silliinan's  Jour- 
nal, March,  1868.  This  paper  has  been  very  extensively  copied,  and 
even  now  1  find  it  necessary  to  make  but  few  changes: 

Mines  have  been  opened  on  Coal  Creek,  three  miles  south  of  Marshall's  mines,  hut 
they  have  been  abandoned  for  the  present.  Another  has  been  opened  about  twenty 
miles  south  of  Cheyenne  City,  on  Pole  Creek.  The  drift  began  with  an  outcropping  of 
about  four  feet  eight  inches  in  thickness,  inclination  twelve  degrees  east.  The  lignite 
grows  better  in  quality  as  it  is  wrought  further  into  the  earth,  and  the  bed,  by  following 
the  dip  two  hundred  feet,  is  found  to  be  five  feet  four  inches  thick,  and  the  lignite  is 
sold  readily  at  Cheyenne  City  for  twenty-five  dollars  per  ton.  The  beds  are  so  concealed 
by  a  superficial  drift  deposit,  that  it  is  difficult  to  obtain  a  clearly  connected  section  of 
the  rocks.  A  section  across  the  inclined  edges  of  the  beds  eastward  from  the  mountains 
is  as  follows : 

7.  Drab  clay  passing  up  into  areno-calcareous  grits  composed  of  an  aggregation  of 
oyster  shells,  Ostrea  subtrigonalls. 

6.  Lignite— 5  to  6  feet. 

5.  Drab  clay — 4  to  6  feet. 

4.  Reddish,  rusty  sandstone  in  thin  laminte — 20  feet. 

3.  Drab  arenaceous  clay,  indurated— 25  feet. 

2.  Massive  sandstone— 50  feet. 

1.  No.  5  cretaceous,  apparently  passing  up  into  a  yellowish  sandstone. 

The  summit  of  the  hills  near  this  bed  of  lignite  is  covered  with  loose  oyster  shells, 
and  there  must  have  been  a  thickness  of  four  feet  or  more,  almost  entirely  composed  of 
them.  The  species  seems  to  be  identical  with  the  one  found  in  a  similar  geological 
position  in  the  lower  lignite  beds  of  the  Upper  Missouri  near  Fort  Clark,  and  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Judith  River,  and  doubtless  was  an  inhabitant  of  the  brackish  waters 
which  must  have  existed  about  the  dawn  of  the  tertiary  period  in  the  West.  No  other 
shells  were  found  in  connection  with  these  in  Colorado,  but  on  the  Upper  Missouri 
well-known  fresh- water  types  exist  in  close  proximity,  showing  that  if  it  proves  any- 
thing, it  rather  affirms  the  eocene  age  of  these  lower  lignite  beds.  These  lignite  beds 


94  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

are  exposed  in  many  localities  all  along  the  eastern  base  of  the  mountains,  and  from 
the  best  information  I  can  secure,  I  have  estimated  the  area  occupied  by  them  north  of 
the  Arkansas  River  at  five  thousand  square  miles.  According  to  the  explorations  of  Dr. 
John  L.  LeConte  during  the  past  season,  which  are  of  great  interest,  these  same  lignite 
formations  extend  far  southward  into  New  Mexico  on  both  sides  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
Specimens  of  lignite  brought  from  the  Raton  Mountains  by  Dr.  LeConte,  resemble  very 
closely  in  appearance  and  color  the  anthracites  of  Pennsylvania.  It  is  probable  that  no 
true  coal  will  ever  be  found  west  of  longitude  ninety-six  degrees,  and  it  becomes  there- 
fore a  most  important  question  to  ascertain  the  real  value  of  these  vast  deposits  of  lig- 
nite for  fuel  and  other  economical  purposes.  Can  these  lignites  be  employed  for  gen- 
erating steam  and  smelting  ores  ?  lu  regard  to  the  lignites  in  the  Laramie  Plains,  I 
have  as  yet  seen  no  analysis,  but  specimens  are  now  in  the  hands  of  Dr.  Torrey,  of  New 
York,  for  that  purpose ;  specimens  from  Marshall's  mine  on  South  Boulder  Creek  were 
submitted  to  Dr.  Torrey  by  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company  for  examination,  with 
the  following  result : 

Water  in  a  state  of  combination,  or  its  elements 12.  00 

Volatile  matter  expelled  at  a  red  heat,  forming  inflammable  gases  and  vapors. .  26.  00 

Fixed  carbon 59. 20 

Ash  of  a  reddish  color,  sometimes  gray 2. 80 

100.00 


A  specimen  from  Coal  Creek,  three  miles  south,  yielded  similar  results : 

Water  in  a  state  of  combination,  or  probably  its  elements,  as  in  dry  wood 20.  00 

Volatile  matter  expelled  at  a  red  heat  in  the  form  of  inflammable  gases  and 

vapors 19.  30 

Fixed  carbon 58. 70 

Ash,  consisting  chiefly  of  oxide  of  iron,  alumina,*and  a  little  silica 2. 00 

100. 00 


The  percentage  of  carbon  is  shown  to  be  in  one  case  59.20,  and  in  the  other  58.70, 
which  shows  at  a  glance  the  superiority  of  the  western  lignites  over  those  found  in  any 
other  portion  of  the  world.  Anthracite  is  regarded  as  so  much  superior  as  a  fuel,  on 
account  of  the  large  per  cent,  of  carbon,  and  also  the  small  amount  of  hydrogen  and 
oxygen.  The  bituminous  coals  contain  a  large  percentage  of  hydrogen  and  oxygen, 
but  not  enough  water  and  ash  to  prevent  them  from  being  made  useful,  but  the  calor- 
ific power  of  lignite  is  very  much  diminished  by  the  quantity  of  water  contained  in  it, 
from  the  fact  that  so  valuable  a  portion  of  the  fuel  must  be  used  in  converting  that 
water  into  steam. 

The  day  of  my  visit  to  the  Marshall  coal  mines,  on  South  Bonlder  Creek,  seventy- 
three  tons  of  lignite  were  taken  out  and  sold  at  the  rate  of  four  dollars  a  ton  at  the 
mine,  and  from  twelve  to  sixteen  dollars  at  Denver.  This  lignite  is  somewhat  brittle, 
but  has  nearly  the  hardness  of  ordinary  anthracite,  which  it  very  much  resembles  at  a 
distance. 

In  some  portions  there  is  a  considerable  quantity  of  resin.  I  spent  two  evenings  at 
Mr.  Marshall's  house,  burning  this  fuel  in  a  furnace,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  it  would 
prove  to  be  superior  to  ordinary  western  bituminous  coals,  and  rank  next  to  anthracite 
for  domestic  purposes.  Being  non-bituminous,  it  will  require  a  draught  to  burn  well. 
It  is  as  neat  as  anthracite,  leaving  no  stain  on  the  fingers.  It  produces  no  offensive  gas 
or  odor,  and  is  thus  superior  in  a  sanitary  point  of  view,  and  when  brought  into  gen- 
eral use,  it  will  be  a  great  favorite  for  culinary  purposes.  It  contains  no  destructive 
elements,  leaves  very  little  ash,  no  clinkers,  and  produces  no  more  erosive  effects  on 
stoves,  grates,  or  steam  boilers,  than  dry  wood.  If  exposed  in  the  open  air  it  is  apt 
to  crumble,  but  if  protected  it  receives  no  special  injury.  Dr.  Torrey  thinks  there  is 
no  reason  why  it  should  not  be  eminently  useful  for  generating  steam  and  for  smelting 
ores. 

Throughout  the  intercalated  beds  of  clay  at  Boulder  Creek  and  vicinity  are  found 
masses  of  a  kind  of  concretionary  iron  ore,  varying  in  size  from  one  ounce  to  several 
tons  in  weight.  This  iron  ore  is  probably  a  limonite  commonly  known  under  the  name 
of  brown  hematite  or  brown  iron  ore.  It  may  perhaps  be  found  in  the  state  of  carbonate 
of  iron  when  sought  for,  beyond  the  reach  of  the  atmosphere.  These  nodules  or  concre- 
tionary masses,  when  broken,  show  regular  concentric  rings  varying  in  color  from  yel- 
low to  brown,  looking  sometimes  like  rusty  yellow  agates.  It  is  said  to  yield  seventy 
per  cent,  of  metallic  iron.  The  first  smelting  furnace  ever  erected  in  Colorado  \vas 
established  here  by  Mr.  Marshall,  and  he  informed  me  that  for  the  production  of  one  ton 
of  pi| 
am 
tons  of 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO.  95 

abound  cannot  be  less  than  fifty  square  miles.  Indications  of  large  deposits  of  iron  ore 
have  been  found  in  many  other  localities  along  the  line  of  the  Pacific  railroads,  and  if 
the  mineral  fuel  which  is  found  here  in  such  great  abundance  can  be  made  useful  for 
smelting  purposes,  these  lignite  and  iron  ore  beds  will  exert  the  same  kind  of  influence 
over  the  progress  of  the  great  West  that  Pennsylvania  exerts  over  all  the  contiguous 
States.  When  wo  reflect  that  we  have  from  ten  thousand  to  twenty  thousand  square 
miles  of  mineral  fuel  in  the  center  of  a  region  where  for  a  radius  of  six  hundred  to  one 
thousand  miles  in  every  direction  there  is  little  or  no  fuel  either  on  or  beneath  the  sur- 
face, the  future  value  of  these  deposits  cannot  be  overestimated. 

The  geological  age  of  these  western  lignite  deposits  is  undoubtedly  tertiary.  Those 
on  the  Upper  Missouri  have  been  shown  to  be  of  that  age  both  from  vegetable  and 
animal  remains,  and  in  the  Laramie  Plains  I  collected  two  species  of  plants,  a  Populus 
and  a  Plantanus,  specifically  identical  with  those  found  on  the  Upper  Missouri.  The 
simple  fact  that  cretaceous  formations  Nos.  1, 2,  3,  4,  and  5,  are  well  shown  all  along  the 
foot  of  the  mountains,  and  that  No.  5  presents  its  usual  lithological  character  with  its 
peculiar  fossils,  within  fifteen  miles  of  Marshall's  mines,  also  that  at  the  mine,  2,  3,  and 
4  are  seen  inclining  at  nearly  the  same  angle  and  holding  a  lower  position  than  the 
lignite  beds,  is  sufficient  evidence  that  the  strata  inclosing  the  lignite  beds  are  newer 
than  cretaceous.  A  few  obscure  dicotyledonous  leaves  were  found,  which  belong  rather 
to  tertiary  forms  thaw  cretaceous. 

The  connection  of  the  lignite  deposits  on  the  Upper  Missouri  has  been  traced  unin- 
terruptedly to  the  North  Platte,  about  eighty  miles  above  Fort  Laramie. 

They  then  pass  beneath  the  White  River  tertiary  beds,  but  reappear  again  about 
twenty  miles  south  of  Pole  Creek,  and  continue  far  southward  into  New  Mexico. 
Near  Red  Buttes,  on  the  North  Platte,  it  seems  also  probable  that  the  same  basin  continues 
northward  along  the  &lope  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  nearly  or  quite  to  the  Arctic  Sea. 
Whether  or  not  there  are  any  indications  of  this  formation  over  the  eastern  range  in 
the  British  possessions,  I  have  no  means  of  ascertaining,  but  the  Wind  River  chain, 
which  forms  the  main  divide  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Range,  exhibits  a  great  thickness 
of  the  lignite  tertiary  beds  on  both  eastern  and  western  slopes,  showing  conclusively 
by  the  fracture  and  inclination  of  the  strata,  that  prior  to  the  elevation  of  this  range, 
they  extended  uninterruptedly  in  a  horizontal  position  across  the  area  now  occupied 
by  the  Wind  River  chain.  Passing  the  first  range  of  mountains  in  the  Laramie  Plains, 
we  find  that  the  Big  Laramie  River  cuts  through  cretaceous  beds,  Nos.  2  and  3,  con- 
tinuing our  course  westward  to  Little  Laramie,  a  branch  of  the  Big  Laramie,  and  No. 
3  becomes  fifty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  thickness  filled  with  fossils,  Ostrca  con- 
gesta,  and  a  species  of  Inoceramus.  At  Rock  Creek,  about  forty  miles  west  of  Big  Lar- 
amie River,  the  lignite  beds  overlap  the  cretaceous,  but  in  such  a  way  as  to  show  that 
the  more  inclined  portions  have  been  swept  away  by  erosion,  and  that  the  red  beds  and 
carboniferous  limestones  once  existed  without  break  and  in  a  horizontal  position  across 
the  Laramie  Range  prior  to  its  elevation. 

I  cannot  discuss  this  matter  in  detail  in  this  article,  but  the  evidence  is  clear  to  me 
now,  that  all  the  lignite  tertiary  beds  of  the  West  are  but  fragments  of  one  great  basin, 
interrupted  here  and  there  by  the  upheaval  of  mountain  chains  or  concealed  by  the 
deposition  of  newer  formations. 

When  I  wrote  the  article  on  the  lignites  of  the  West,  all  my  own  inves- 
tigations pointed  strongly  to  the  conclusion  that  no  coal  beds  of  any 
great  value,  in  an  economical  point  of  view,  would  ever  be  found  in  the 
West  in  formations  older  than  the  tertiary.  When  my  large  collections 
of  vegetable  and  animal  remains  from  the  coal  beds  in  Wyoming,  Colo- 
rado, and  New  Mexico,  now  deposited  in  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  are 
carefully  studied,  I  can  speak  with  more  confidence  on  that  point.  1  can 
say  just  here  that  I  have  as  yet  seen  no  reason  to  change  that  opinion 
so  far  as  my  own  observations  are  concerned. 

In  the  spring  of  1868,  Professor  Lesquereux,  who  is  so  justly  celebrated 
for  his  skill  in  the  study  of  fossil  plants,  sent  me  the  following  valuable 
notes  as  the  result  of  a  preliminary  examination  of  some  leaf  impressions 
from  the  coal  deposits  in  various  parts  of  the  West.  His  conclusions 
seem  to  confirm  my  opinions  that  all  these  coal  formations  are  of  tertiary 
age. 

SPECIES  FROM  ROCK  CREEK,  LARAMIE  PLAINS. 

1.  Populus  attenuata,  Al.  Braun.    The  identity  of  these  leaves  with  the  European  spe- 
cies is  undoubted. 

2.  Populus  IcKvigata,  sp.  nov.,  related  to  P.  laUamoides,  Gopp.,  a  species  which,  like 
the  former,  is  abundant  in  the  mioceae  of  Europe. 


96  SUEVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND  NEW   MEXICO. 

3.  Populus  subrotunda,  sp.  nov.    Type  of  neuration  of  P.  melanaria,  Heer,  and  form  of 
leaves  of  P.  mutabilis,  Heer,  both  species  also  common  in  the  miocene  of  Europe. 

4.  Quercus  acrodon,  sp.  nov.,  a  fine  oval  leaf  resembling  a  chestnut  leaf,  related  to 
Quercus  prinoides,  Wild,  of  our  time. 

5.  Quercus  haydeni,  sp.  nov.,  lyrate  leaf  with  lobes  strongly  dentate,  "without  near 
relation  to  any  species  either  of  the  tertiary  or  of  our  time. 

6.  Platanus,  aceroides,  Gopp.,  one  of  the  most  common  species  of  the  miocene  of  Europe. 
It  i*  closely  related  to,  if  not  identical  with,  P.  octidentalis,  L.,  of  our  time. 

MARSHALL'S  MIXE  (NEAR  DENVER.) 

1.  Quercus  chlorophytta,  Ung.    Three  specimens  of  this  species  have  been  figured  and 
described  in  my  paper,  "  On  species  of  fossil  plants  from  the  tertiary  of  Mississippi," 
(Trans.  Phil.  Soc.,  vol.  13,  pi.  xvii,  figs.  5,  6,  7.)    It  is  still  uncertain  if  these  leaves  rep- 
resent a  quercus,  but  all  belong  to  the  species  described  and  figured  by  Heer  under  this 
name,  and  common  in  the  whole  thickness  of  the  European  miocene. 

2.  Quercus  lyelli,  Heer,  also  figured  in  the  above  paper,  pi.  xvii,  figs.  1,  2,  3.    Though 
the  specimen  is  somewhat  obscure,  the  essential  characters  which  distinguish  the  species 
are  well  discernible.    It  is  abundant  in  the  Bovey  Tracy  lignite  formations  of  England, 
lower  miocene. 

3.  Cinamomum  affi-ne,  sp.  nov.    This  species  is  also  found  at  Raton  Pass.    The  leaf  from 
Raton  Pass  is  smaller  and  might  belong  to  a  different  species,  but  except  the  size  I  do  not 
find  ground  for  separation ;  very  near  C.  mississippiensis,  Lesq.,  and  also  closely  related 
to  C.  buchi,  Heer,  of  the  lower  miocene  of  Europe. 

4.  Cornus  incompletus,  sp.  nov.    A  part  of  a  leaf  apparently  round  at  the  top,  general 
outline  uncertain.    It  is  figured  merely  for  future  reference.     By  its  peculiar  nervation 
this  leaf  appears  in  close  relation  to,  if  not  identical  with,  Cornus  rhamnifolius,  Web. 
Pretty  common  in  the  lower  miocene  of  Europe. 

5.  There  are  in  the  Marshall's  shales  a  few  fragments  of  maple  leaves  (acer)  specifi- 
cally undeterminable,  and  also  one  winged  seed  of  this  genus.    This  seed  has  a  narrow 
straight  wing  like  that  of  Acer  trilobatum,  Heer,  but  with  smaller  nutlet. 

6.  Ehamnus  salicifolia,  sp.  nov.,  in  soft  sandstone ;  related  to  E.  marginatus,  Lesq.,  and 
and  also  to  E.  carolimanus,  Walt.,  now  living  and  abundant  in  southern  swamps. 

7.  Juglans  rugostis,  sp.  nov.,  very  nearly  related  to  J.  acuminata,  Al.  Braun,  a  species 
extensively  distributed  in  the  European  miocene. 

8.  Echitoninm  sophice,  Web.    The  leaf  has  no  visible  nervation,  but  it  is  exactly  like 
both  the  forms  represented  from  European  specimens.    It  is  found  in  the  whole  miocene 
of  Europe,  especially  in  the  lower  stage. 

9'  Phyllites  sulcatus,  sp.  nov.  The  borders  of  the  leaf  are  destroyed,  but  the  nervation 
is  quite  peculiar.  It  is  referable  either  to  a  Rhodora  like  E.  canadensis  of  our  time,  or 
represents  merely  the  lower  part  of  the  winged  petiole  of  the  fruit  of  a  linden,  ( Tilia.) 

10.  Lygodium  compactum,  sp.  nov.  Though  many  species  of  lygodiums  are  described 
from  the  tertiary  of  Europe,  none  are  related  to  ours.  One  lobe  of  a  leaf  only  is  presented, 
and  the  general  outline  of  the  leaf  is  therefore  unknown,  but  the  nervation,  which  is 
very  close  and  more  like  that  of  a  Neuropteris,  is  of  a  peculiar  character. 

LIGNITE  BEDS  NEAR  GOLDEN  CITY,  COLORADO. 

1.  Magnolia  tenuinervis,  sp.  nov.    Not  possible  to  indicate  the  general  form  of  the  leaf 
of  which  a  part  only  is  presented.    Its  thin  and  sharp  secondary  nerves  distinguish  it 
from  any  other  fossil  species. 

2.  Laihr&a  arguta,  sp.  nov.    May  be  a  Pecopteris.    No  relation  observed  of  any  known 
species  to  this  one. 

RATON  PASS.   SPECIMENS  COLLECTED  BY  DR.  LECONTE, 

1.  Bercliemia  parvifolia,  sp.  nov.    Related  to  B.  multinervis  of  the  European  miocene, 
but  still  more  like  our  Berchemia  volubilis  which  fills  the  southern  swamps.     The  basilar 
part  of  the  leaf  is  not  seen  and  therefore  a  satisfactory  determination  is  not  possible. 

2.  Abietites  diibius,  sp.  nov. 

Most  of  the  specimens  from  Raton  Pass  have  some  remains  of  leaves  or  branches  of  a 
coniferous  species  which  can  be  referred,  perhaps,  as  well  to  the  genus  Araucaria  as  to 
Sequoia  or  Abies.  As  the  leaves  on  the  branchlets  appear  evidently  placed  around  the 
stems  and  not  on  both  sides  of  it,  and  as  the  scars  left  on  the  bark  are  of  the  same  form 
as  those  of  an  Abies,  I  place  these  remains  in  this  genus  till  they  may  be  studied  on  bet- 
ter specimens.  The  leaves  are  pointed  as  in  Taxites  dubius,  Gopp.,  from  the  tertiary  of 
Europe ;  except  this,  these  remains  have  no  analogy  with  any  other,  published  or  figured. 

3.  EcUtonium  sopMce,  Web.    A  small  fragment  exactly  like  those  of  Marshall's  coal 
bed  and  a  specimen  of  Cinnamomum  affine,  already  mentioned,  from  the  Marshall's  shales. 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO  AND  NEW  MEXICO.  97 

UPPER  END  OF  PURGATORY  CASfON,  DR.  LECONTE. 

1.  Khamnus  obovatus,  sp.  nov.  All  the  specimens  are  from  the  same  place,  and  all  con- 
tain fragments  of  the  same  species,  and  none  of  any  other.  This  species  is  peculiar  by 
the  form  of  the  leaves ;  it  has  the  character  of  a  Ehamnm  but  the  secondary  nerves  are 
closer  and  more  numerous  than  in  any  other  species  of  the  genus,  even  more  so  than  in 
a  Bercheniia.  I  do  not  know  of  any  fossil  plant  comparable  to  this. 

From  this  short  report  on  your  fossil  plants  examined  till  now,  it  is  easy  to  draw 
some  general  conclusions. 

From  Rock  Creek  we  have  only  six  species.  Two  are  identical  with  species  from  the 
miocene  of  Europe,  and  one  of  them,  Platanm  aceroides,  is  not  distinguishable  from  our 
P.  occidentalis.  Two  other  species  are  closely  allied  to  European  tertiary  species.  And 
of  the  two  others,  one  is  an  American  type  related  to  Quercus  prinoides,  still  in  our  flora, 
the  other  a  peculiar  and  lost  type.  The  appearance  of  this  florula  is  quite  modern. 
This  may  be  the  result  of  geographical  circumstances.  Poplars  and  buttonwoods  live 
together  in  the  bottoms  of  rivers,  and  therefore  I  may  mistake  in  believing  this  Rock 
Creek  formation  more  recent  than  that  of  Marshall's.  In  any  case  it  is  certainly  tertiary 
and  has  no  plants  of  an  older  formation. 

In  Marshall's  (coal  beds)  we  find  only  ten  species  of  fossil  plants,  two  Quercus  and  one 
Echitoniiim  apparently  identical  with  miocene  species  of  Europe,  one  Rhamnus,  closely 
related  to  a  living  species  of  ours,  and  at  the  same  time  to  a  fossil  species  of  the  lignite  of 
Mississippi,  one  Cornus,  one  Juglans,  and  one  Cinnamomum,  all  related  to  miocene  species, 
and  the  last  one  also  closely  allied  to  a  species  of  the  Mississippi  tertiary;  undetermin- 
able leaves  of  maple,  seeds  of  the  same  genus,  a  Lygodium  and  an  undeterminable  Phyl- 
lites  complete  the  list.  These  plants  have,  therefore,  all  of  them,  the  character  of  ter- 
tiary plants.  The  general  aspect  of  the  Marshall  coal  flora  is  that  of  the  Mississippi 
lignite,  which  I  consider  as  either  lowest  miocene  or  eocene.  In  this  I  am  much  pleased 
to  find  my  views  so  well  agreeing  with  yours. 

The  materials  obtained  from  the  strata  of  Golden  City,  Raton  Pass,  and  Purgatory 
Canon,  are  too  scanty  to  permit  considerations  in  regard  to  the  geological  positions  of  the 
strata  which  have  furnished  them.  No  Abies  has  yet  been  described  from  tertiary  strata, 
but  with  these  broken  remains  of  a  conifer  of  uncertain  genus,  the  shale  of  Raton  Pass 
has  a  Bercliemia,  which  is  a  tertiary  plant,  and  a  leaf  of  Echitonium,  and  one  of  Cinna- 
momum identical  with  specimens  found  at  Marshall's. 

In  conclusion,  I  beg  leave  to  say,  that  while  I  have  the  most  profound 
respect  for  the  labors  of  my  fellow  geologists  in  the  same  field,  I  differ 
with  them  somewhat,  simply  because  the  evidence,  to  my  mind,  points  in 
a  different  direction.  In  various  portions  of  the  Laramie  Plains,  Col- 
orado, Eaton  Hills,  &c.,  I  have  observed  between  the  well-defined  cre- 
taceous and  tertiary  beds  a  group  of  strata  composed  of  thin  layers  of 
clay,  with  yellow  and  gray  sands  and  sandstones,  which  I  have  called 
transition  or  beds  of  passage.  If  in  these  beds  I  were  to  find  some  purely 
marine  remains,  even  inoceramus  or  baculites,  I  should  then  call  them 
transition  beds,  in  accordance  with  the  evidence  of  the  continuous  un- 
interrupted growth  of  the  continent  from  the.  cretaceous  through  the 
tertiary  period.  There  is  no  proof,  so  far  as  I  have  observed,  in  all  the; 
western  country  of  true  non-conformity  between  the  cretaceous  and  lower, 
tertiary  beds,  and  no  evidence  of  any  change  in  sediments  or  any  catas- 
trophe sufficient  to  account  for  the  sudden  and  apparently  complete  de- 
struction  of  organic  life  at  the  close  of  the  cretaceous  period.  In  all 
my  examinations  of  the  coal  formations  over  so  vast  an  area,  I  have  never 
yet  seen  a  trace  of  a  cretaceous  fossil  in  any  strata  above  the  coal.  One 
of  the  most  important  practical  questions  for  solution  in  the  west  is, 
whether  these  coals  can  be  rendered  useful  for  smelting  ores.  To  aid  in 
the  solution  of  this  question,  I  have  appended  the  following  analyses  of 
the  coals  from  various  portions  of  the  West. 

Mr.  J.  P.  Carson,  my  assistant  on  the  United  States  geological  sur- 
vey, 1868,  made  the  following  analysis  of  a  fair  specimen  of  the  coal 
from  the  Carbon  min  es,  Northern  Pacific  railroad. 

Moisture  at  100°  F 11.60 

Volatile  combustible  matter 27.68 

Fixed  carbon 51.67 

7  &S 


98 


SURVEY   OF  COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 


Ash.... 
Sulphur. 


6.17 

2.88 


Color  of  ash,  light  gray.  Specific  gravity,  1.37.  Weight  per  cubic 
yard,  2,212  pounds. 

My  assistant,  Persifor  Frazer,  jr.,  in  the  United  States  geological  sur- 
vey of  Colorado  and  New  Mexico  during  the  past  season,  has  made  the 
following  analyses  of  coals  along  the  line  of  the  Union  Pacific  railroad. 
They  were  made  with  great  care  and  I  have  the  most  perfect  confidence 
in  their  accuracy : 


Coal  from  mine  at  Point  of  Rocks : 


Carbon 

Ash 

Sulphur 

Water  and  volatile  substances. 


Total 

Coal  from  Rock  Creek : 


Per  cent. 

64.70 
4.40 
0.42 

30.48 

100. 00 


Carbon . 


Per  cent. 

61.34 

Sulphur 2.00 

Ash 1.50 

Volatile  substances  and  water 35. 16 


Total ...     100.00 


Coal  from  Black  Buttes : 

Per  cent. 

Carbon 71.64 

Sulphur 2.00 

Ash 2.50 

Volatile  substances  and  water 23. 86 

Total..  100.00 


Coal  from  the  Evanston  mine  was  tested  for  its  carbon  alone  and  found  to  contain 
carbon,  72.16  per  cent.  All  these  coals  resemble  in  their  physical  properties  those 
met  with  along  the  route  of  the  Colorado  and  New  Mexico  survey. 

I  take  the  liberty  of  quoting  in  this  connection  the  following  analyses 
.of  coals  from  the  admirable  report*  of  my  friend  Doctor  J.  H.  LeConte. 
I  found  this  report,  as  well  as  that  of  Doctor  dewberry,  of  great  service 
to  me  in  my  explorations  during  the  past  season : 


Locality. 

Fixed 
carbon. 

Volatile 
material. 

Water. 

Ash. 

1.  NEW  MEXICO. 
Vermejo  Canon 

59  72 

23.73 

3.27 

13.28 

Placer  anthracite  

88.91 

3.18 

2.90 

5.21 

2.  COLORADO. 
Murphy's  near  Denver 

55  31 

29  07 

11.70 

3.92 

Marshall's,  near  Denver  

59.20 

26.00 

12.  00 

8.80 

Coal  Creekt 

57  70 

19  30 

20.00 

2.00 

copied  from  Doctor  Hayden's  paper  in  Silliman's  Journal  for  March,  1868 


SURVEY   OF   COLOEADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO. 


99 


Locality. 

Fixed 
carbon. 

Volatile 
material. 

Water. 

Aah. 

3.  PACIFIC  COAST. 

A.—  Cretaceous. 

Bellingham  Bay,  "Washington  Territory.  ................ 

45  69 

33  26 

o  on 

Nanaimo  Vancouver's  Island 

46  31 

32.  16 

B.—  Tertiary. 

Coos  Bay,  Oregon  

41  98 

32.59 

20  09 

r    <v* 

40  65 

40  ffi 

Do            ' 

46  84 

33  89 

14  69 

Do    

44  92 

40  27 

13  84 

A    0~ 

Do 

44.55 

37  38 

14  13 

Do  

36  35 

35.62 

20  53 

7  50 

German  tertiary  coals. 


Variety. 

Carbon. 

Hydrogen. 

Combined 
water. 

Hygroscopic 
water. 

Fibrous,  (faserige)  

48 

1 

31 

20 

Earthy  (erdige) 

56 

2 

22 

20 

Laminated,  (muschlige)  

60 

3 

17 

20 

The  ash  is  neglected  in  the  foreign  analyses,  but  is  stated  to  average  from  5  to  10 
per  cent.  When  first  mined,  the  German  brown  coals  contain  frequently  nearly  50 
per  cent,  of  hygroscopic  water,  which  by  drying  is  reduced  to  20  or  25  per  cent. 

The  absolute  heat  effects  of  the  German  coals  are  given  as  follows : 


Variety. 

Air-dried. 

Kiln-dried. 

Fibrous 

50 

63 

Earthy      . 

62 

.76 

Laminated 

70 

84 

The  data  obtained  by  Professor  Brush  by  the  reduction  of  oxide  of  lead,  when 
placed  in  a  decimal  form,  pure  carbon  being  unity,  are  : 

Vermejo  Canon .67 

Placer  anthracite , 91 

Denver,  (Murphy's) 60 

The  following  are  analyses  of  water  from  springs,  &c.,  by  Mr.  P.  Frazer, 
chemist  and  mineralogist  to  the  United  States  geological  survey  of 
Colorado  and*  Kew  Mexico : 

While  in  Rawling's  Springs  I  was  employed  by  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company 
to  examine  the  waters  from  various  springs,  which  incrusted  the  boilers  of  locomotives 
and  stationary  engines  of  the  company,  as  well  as  of  coals  from  the  principal  coal-beds 
on  the  line  of  the  road.  The  result  of  these  analyses  I  append  : 

Scale  from  tlie  boiler  of  an  engine  in  the  machine  shop  at  Bawling*  8  Springs. — This  scale  was 
of  a  dark  color  due  to  impurities  in  suspension  in  the  water.  It  consisted  of  the 
chlorides  of  potassium  and  sodium,  the  sulphates  of  lime  and  magnesia  and  the  silicate 
of  alumina.  The  major  part  of  the  soluble  matter  was  composed  of  salt  and  gypsum. 
Some  water  from  a  salt  pond  in  the  Black  Hills,  some  distance  from  Sherman,  was 
analyzed  and  found  to  contain  chloride  of  sodium,  chloride  of  potassium,  the  carbon- 
ate of  soda,  and  some  alumina. 

Boiler  scale  from  locomotive  running  between  Eawling's  Springs  and  Bryan. — This  scale  was 
of  a  gray  color,  but  proved  to  be  of  the  same  chemical  constitution  as  that  previously 
given,  viz,  chlorides  of  potassium  and  sodium,  sulphates  of  lime  and  magnesia,  and  the 
silicate  of  alumina.  / 


KEPOKT  OF  PEKSIFOR  FRAZER,  J*. 


MINES  AND  MINEEALS  OF  COLORADO. 


DENVER,  COLORADO,  October  15, 1869. 

SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  the  examination  of  the  minerals, 
and  the  means  employed  to  utilize  them,  in  the  Territories  of  Colo- 
rado and  New  Mexico,  which  you  directed  me  to  make,  has  been  con- 
ducted as  well  as  the  very  limited  time  at  my  disposal  would  permit,  and 
a  preliminary  report  of  the  results  is  herewith  respectfully  submitted. 

In  the  letter  accompanying  the  first  report  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  by  the  commissioner  appointed  to  collect  the  same  kind  of  in- 
formation from  the  country  lying  west  of  the  Epcky  Mountains,  Mr. 
Browne  urges  that  the  six  months  which  were  prior  to  the  meeting  of 
Congress  would  not  permit  of  any  but  a  most  imperfect  treatment  of 
the  subject,  and  limits  himself  to  sketching  an  outline  of  the  work  to  be 
done. 

The  same  is  true  in  a  much  greater  degree  of  the  few  weeks  in  which 
I  was  obliged  to  gather  the  materials  for  this  report,  especially  as  the 
greater  portion  of  the  time  was  spent  on  the  march,  remote  from  all 
points  where  statistics  were  accessible. 

Any  report  of  the  condition  of  mining  affairs  in  the  Territories  of 
Colorado  and  New  Mexico,  (each  of  which  is  larger  than  all  the  New 
England  States  put  together,)  and  in  particular  of  the  former,  which 
counts  its  discovered  lodes,  the  varieties  of  its  minerals,  and  its  mining 
enterprises,  by  thousands,  and  in  which  energetic  capital  and  intelli- 
gence, "ever  striving  through  darkness  to  the  light,"  are  working  such 
incessant  changes,  must  represent  things  as  a  telescope  represents  the 
stars,  not  as  they  are  or  ever  were,  but  this  as  it  was  last  week  and  that 
as  it  was  last  year. 

In  consideration  of  these  difficulties,  I  venture  to  hope  that  you  may 
regard  all  shortcomings  more  leniently,  and  that  the  following,  though 
far  from  complete,  may  not  altogether  fail  to  answer  the  requirements 
of  Congress. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  call  attention  to  the  great  courtesy  and  kind- 
ness I  have  experienced  in  the  course  of  my  investigations  from  the 
citizens  of  the  two  Territories  generally,  the  owners  and  superintend- 
ents of  the  various  mines  and  mills,  the  possessors  of  cabinets  of  min- 
erals, &c.,  and  the  officers  and  their  families  stationed  at  Forts  Union 
and  Garland. 

Especially  do  I  thank  Mr.  J.  Alden  Smith,  the  mining  editor  of  the 
Central  City  Register ;  Mr.  D.  J.  Ball,  of  Empire  City;  Colonel  An- 
derson, of  the  Eeal  Dolores ;  and  Mr.  Cheever,  of  the  Brown  Mining 
Company  in  Georgetown,  for  the  assistance,  in  a  professional  way,  which 
they  have  rendered  me  ;  nor  can  I  forget  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Marshall, 
of  Black  Hawk,  and  Mr.  Schultz,  of  Central  City. 

Where  it  was  not  possible  for  me  personally  to  inspect  the  mines  of 
which  I  have  spoken,  I  have  in  every  case  stated  that  the  informa- 
tion is  given  on  the  authority  of  others. 
I  remain,  sir,  with  great  respect, 

PEESIFOE  FEAZEE,  JR., 

Mining  Engineer. 

Dr.  F.  V.  HAYDEN,  United  States  Geologist. 


104  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

A  natural  division  of  the  subject  about  which  information  has  been- 
sought  would  seein  to  be;  I,  the  minerals,  and  II,  the  mines  of  Colorado 
and  New  Mexico;  and  these  again  into  1. 1,  the  minerals  of  commercial 
value,  and  1. 2,  those  of  no  commercial  value,  but  more  or  less  character- 
istic of  the  rocks  or  formations  in  which  they  occur. 

The  mining  portion  of  this  report  would  have  been  better  divided  into 
II.  1,  gulch  or  placer  mining,  and  II.  2,  lode  or  legitimate  mining,  while 
under  the  latter  head  the  subject  would  naturally  divide  itself  into  a,  the 
methods  in  use  for  getting  out  the  ore  and  taking  care  of  the  mines;  &, 
the  dressing  of  the  ores  by  mechanical  processes ;  and  c,  the  chemical 
treatment  of  the  ores,  their  reduction  and  preparation  for  the  market,  or 
shipment  out  of  the  Territory.  This  would  be  a  natural  division  of  the 
subject,  but  the  time,  and,  consequently,  the  opportunities  of  observation 
have  been  so  insufficient  for  the  above  thorough  treatment  of  the  subject 
that  I  have  deemed  it  better  to  forward  to  you,  as  my  part  of  the  pre- 
liminary report,  only  the  notes  I  have  made  in  the  field,  with  a  few 
observations  on  various  points  connected  with  the  subject. 

In  a  belt,  of  which  it  would  be  difficult  to  define  the  limits,  but  which 
may  be  generally  stated  as  lying  east  and  west  of  the  great  continental 
divide  as  far  as  the  gneiss  or  granite  extends,  and  reaching  north  and 
south  as  far  as  investigation  has  made  the  Rocky  Mountain  chain  known 
to  us,  lie  the  ores  of  the  precious,  and  some  of  the  baser,  metals.  Of  the 
distribution  of  this  great  mineral  wealth  throughout  the  hundreds  of 
leagues  of  this  belt  very  little  is  known,  the  small  area  which  has  become 
the  prize  of  the  gold-seeker  furnishing  wholly  insufficient  data  upon 
which  to  base  general  conclusions. 

To  begin  with,  the  rock  in  which  occur  all  these  lodes  is  that  which 
carries  the  precious  metals,  with  rare  exceptions,  the  world  over,  and 
which  is  either  a  granite  or  a  gneiss,  or,  as  in  the  Central  City  district, 
such  an  inextricably  confused  mixture  of  both  that  it  were  impossible  to 
call  it  either.  This  is  the  country  rock.  Whether  from  the  great  changes 
to  which  this  rock  has  been  exposed  through  countless  ages,  or  whether 
from  other  causes,  it  shows  itself  in  most  various  forms  at  different 
places,  and  passes  by  imperceptible  phases  through  gneiss,  granite,  sye- 
nite, and  porphyry.  This  porphyry  is  perhaps  more  frequently  observed 
in  the  neighborhood  of  veins. 

A  fine  illustration  of  the  irregularity  with  which  these  rocks  succeed 
each  other  is  to  be  observed  along  the  road  from  Mount  Vernon  through 
Idaho  City  to  Georgetown.  Along  Clear  Creek,  from  Fall  River  to 
Georgetown,  the  inclination  and  direction  of  the  rocks  appear  to  be  as 
variable  as  their  structural  character,  a  general  northwesterly  dip  being 
perhaps  most  common,  while  red  and  gray,  heavy-bedded,  and  thinly- 
laminated  gneiss  and  red  and  gray  granite  succeed  each  other  in  utter 
confusion.  Here  and  there  a  vein  of  quartz  or  quartz -porphyry  or  sye- 
nite (very  frequently  auriferous)  is  visible,  forming  a  light-colored  streak 
usually  down  the  sides  of  the  opposite  hills.  This  composite  character 
of  the  country  rock  has  been  noticed,  as  1  am  informed,  in  most,  if  not 
all,  of  the  mining  districts,  and  on  both  sides  of  the  Sierra  Madre  or  main 
range.  The  gangue  rock  is  most  frequently  quartz,  which,  of  course, 
assumes  very  different  appearances  at  different  places,  both  in  texture 
and  in  color.  In  some  cases  the  gangue  rock  is  porphyry  more  or  less 
weathered.  (Brown  Lode,  West  Argentine,  et  al) 

The  minerals  of  Colorado  of  commercial  value  which  are  most  widely 
distributed  are  auriferous  iron  and  copper  pyrites,  (malachite  and  the 
sulphates  of  iron  and  copper  from  their  decomposition,  though  nowhere 
in  large  quantities,  being  spread  over  wide  areas,)  zincblende,  argent- 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND  NEW  MEXICO.  105 

iferous  galena,  brittle  silver  ore,  fahlerz,  specular  iron,  hematite  and 
magnetic  pyrites,  cerussite  and  anglesite,  native  gold  and  silver,  horn 
silver,  embolite,  (confined  chiefly  to  the  neighborhoods  of  Georgetown 
and  Snake  Kiver,  1  believe,  as  far  as  yet  ascertained,)  titanic  iron  ore, 
micaceous  iron  ore,  spathic  iron  ore,  Smithsonite,  copper  glance,  coal 
and  Albertine  coal.  These  comprise  the  principal  ores  which  I  have 
observed,  but  time  and  more  thorough  search  will  undoubtedly  disclose 
to  the  mineralogist,  if  not  to  the  ^metallurgist  and  miner,  many  as  yet 
hidden  treasures. 

Gilpin  County  and  the  region  about  Empire  are  rated  as  gold  fields, 
and  the  values  of  ores  from  these  and  some  other  districts  are  given  in 
ounces  of  gold  per  ton;  whereas  the  adjacent  country  around  George- 
town, abounding  as  it  does  in  argentiferous  galena  and  silver  glance, 
(called  simply  "  sulphuret,")  has  the  number  of  ounces  silver  per  ton  as 
its  standard.  In  some  few  veins,  as  the  Whale  Lode  near  Idaho  City, 
the  values  of  the  gold  and  silver  present  in  the  ore  are  nearly  equal. 

A  more  detailed  specification  of  the  ores  follows: 

Iron  pyrites,  (FeS2.) — Almost  universal  in  the  mines.  Occurs  in 
cubes  from  the  size  of  a  pin's  head  to  those  of  an  inch  on  the  sides.  Also 
in  pentagonal  dodecahedra. 

Copper  pyrites,  (Cu2S-fFeS2.) — Is  only  second  to  iron  pyrites  in  the 
frequency  of  its  occurrence.* 

Zincblende,  (ZnS.) — Is  also  very  common,  especially  in  the  Georgetown 
region.  Fine  specimens  were  obtained  from  the  Baker  Lode,  West  Ar- 
gentine and  the  Griffith  Lode,  close  by  Georgetown.  Also  from  Gilbert's 
(formerly  Commonwealth  Mining  Company)  Lode,  near  Nevada  City. 

Galena,  (PbS.) — Usually  argentiferous.  In  all  the  lodes  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Georgetown.  Contains  from  one  hundred  to  six  hundred  ounces 
silver  per  ton.t 

Brittle  silver  ore,  (Stephanite  5  AgS+ Sb2S3.) — Occurs  in  the  silver  mines 
of  Georgetown.  (Terrible  and  Brown  lodes.) 

Fahlerz,  [(4BS+ 4Cu2S)  QS3.B= Fe,  Cu,  Zn  and  often  some  Ag  and 
Hg  =  Q— Sb  and  As.] — Also  in  the  region  around  Georgetown.  The 
formulae  here  given  are  from  Naumann's  Mineralogy.  I  am  not  aware 
that  Hg  has  been  discovered  in  this  ore,  but  as  it  coincides  in  its  phys- 
ical properties  with- the  ordinary  fahlerz,  I  append  the  above  formula. 

Light  ruby  silver,  (Proustite,)  (3AgS.AsS3);  Dark  ruby  silver,  (Py- 
rargyrite,}  (3AgS.  SbS3.)— Handsome  specimens  of  these  two  ores  were 
observed  intermixed  with  the  galena  from  the  Brown  Lode.  Also  from 
Snake  Eiver. 

Silver  glance,  (AgS.) — From  the  Georgetown  neighborhood.  Equator 
and  Terrible  lodes.  A  ton  of  galena,  containing  much  of  this  ore, 
was  recently  sold  by  a  gentleman  of  Central  City  to  Professor  Hill  for 
$1,900  cash,  and  the  latter  realized  a  profit  of  $700  from  it. 

*  Both  iron  and  copper  pyrites  of  this  region  contain  gold  in  indefinitely  fine  particles. 
The  former  is,  in  fact,  the  gold  ore.  Where  these  minerals  have  been  exposed  to  tho 
action  of  the  weather,  they  have  been  decomposed  and  the  gold  set  free.  The  value  of 
the  gold  in  a  ton  varies  from  nothing  to  five  hundred  dollars,  and  even  more.  I  have 
observed  small  octahedra  of  gold  on  the  crystal  faces  of  iron  pyrites  from  the  Pleasant 
View  mine  near  Central  City. 

t  It  is  somewhat  remarkable  that  these  veins  of  galena  generally  "  pinch  up  "  or  grow 
smaller  as  the  depth  increases.  I  take  this  general  statement  from  the  best  authority  I 
could  obtain  on  the  subject.  A  gentleman  well  acquainted  with  the  Georgetown  ores 
informed  me  that  all  attempts  hitherto  to  produce  lead  for  the  market  had  failed  from 
deficiency  in  the  supply  of  galena.  This  statement,  which  I  give  for  what  it  is  worth, 
appears  all  the  more  remarkable  when  one  compares  it  with  the  experience  of  miners  in 
Freiberg,  Przibram,  and  Clausthal. 


106  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

Copper  glance.  (Cn2S.) — Bergen  district,  near  Idaho  City,  Pleasant 
View,  &c. 

Malachite,  (CuO.C02;)  Blue  vitriol,  (CuO.SO3+5HO ;)  Green  vitriol, 
(CuO.SO3+7HO.) — Occur  in  various  mines  from  the  decomposition  of 
the  pyrites. 

PyromorpUte,  (PbO.PO5-f  PbCl.) — Associated  with  the  galena  of  va- 
rious mines  near  the  surface. 

Specular  iron  ore,  (FeO.Fe^Os.) — Cache  &  laPoudre,  St.  Vrain's,  &c. 

Red  and  brown  hematite,  (Fe263  and  Fe2O3-f  HO.) — Of  frequent  occur- 
rence in  the  vicinity  of  the  coal. 

Coal. — Beds  of  coal  occur  all  along  the  flanks  of  the  mountains, 
but  in  the  property  of  Mr.  Marshall  are  perhaps  the  best  exposures. 
Here  are  no  less  than  nine  outcrops.  They  make  their  appearance  at 
various  points  along  the  range  as  far  down  as  Santa  Fe,  and  are  of  un- 
known extent.  Albertine  coal,  or  solidified  petroleum,  is  stated  by  Prof. 
Denton  to  occur  on  White  Eiver,  in  the  western  part  of  the  Territory. 

Gold. — Occurs  in  the  neighborhood  of  Central  City,  in  the  German 
lode,  and  many  others.  In  the  Placer  diggings.  Some  beautiful  crys- 
tals attached  to  cubes  of  iron  pyrites  in  the  ore  from  the  Pleasant  View 
mine. 

Silver. — In  many  mines  as  wire  or  hair  silver,  Brown  and  United 
States  Coin  lodes. 

Cerussite,  (PbO.  CO2.) — Pleasant-View  mine. — In  small  translucent 
crystals  occurring  in  geodes. 

Anglesite,  (PbO .  SO3.)— Freedland  lode,  Trail  Eun. 

Horn  silver,  (Ag  Cl.) — Georgetown,  Snake  Eiver. 

Embolite,  (AgBr+AgCl.)—  Peru  district,  Snake  Eiver. 

Titanic  iron  ore,  (x  Ti2O3+y  Fe2O3.) — Quartz  Hill,  and  Eussel  Gulch, 
near  Central  City. 

Micaceous  iron  ore,  (Fe2O3.) — Elk  Creek.    In  fine  crystals  like  mica. 

SpatMc  iron  ore,  (FeO .  OO2.) — Eureka  and  Griffith  lodes,  &c. 

Smithsonite,  (ZnO .  CO2.) — Eunning  lode,  Blackhawk,  &c. 

Salt,  (NaCl.) — From  Salt  Springs  in  South  Park,  twenty  miles  south- 
east of  Fairplay.  Can  produce  forty  thousand  pounds  per  diem. 

By  characteristic  minerals,  I  mean  to  include  all  those  that  have  no 
commercial  value.  They  furnish  proof,  in  most  cases,  of  the  presence 
of  other  minerals,  of  rocks  or  of  formations.  Of  the  characteristic 
minerals,  among  the  most  common  are — 

Hydrated  oxide  of  iron,  (brown  ochre,  yellow  ochre,  bog  iron  ore,  &c.) — 
Occurs  with  the  coal  beds  at  South  Boulder,  Golden  City,  &c.,  &c.,  and 
is  frequently  regarded  as  a  surface  indication  of  the  presence  of  gold, 
silver  and  the  precious  ores  generally. 

Quartz,  (SiO3.) — The  most  important  of  the  characteristic  minerals. 
Very  widely  diffused.  Forms  the  gangue  of  nearly  all  the  veins  of  the 
precious  metals  in  Colorado.  As  gangue  rock  it  crops  out  on  the  hill 
sides  in  white  or  colored  streaks,  usually  intersecting  the  planes  of  strati- 
fication of  the  rocks.  Un crystallized,  presenting  sharp  and  jagged  edges, 
and  a  broken  conchoidal  uneven  fracture,  sometimes  weathered  by  the 
disintegration  of  the  minerals  it  contained.  Pebbles  and  partially 
rounded  crystals  of  quartz  are  abundant  in  the  prairies  east  of  the 
Eocky  Mountains,  whence  they  have  been  carried  down,  and  may  be 
observed  hundreds  of  miles  east  of  the  easternmost  "  hog-back."  Indeed, 
the  abundance  of  these  small  pebbles  of  quartz  and  of  the  red  feldspar 
is  very  remarkable,  occurring  as  they  do  in  great  quantities  on  the 
summits  of  the  little  prairie  hillocks  at  such  an  immense  distance  from 
their  place  of  origin. 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO.  107 

1.  Smoky  quartz  and  black  quartz. — Elk  Creek. 

2.  Eock  or  Berg  crystal. — Near  "  Dirty  woman's  Ranch,"  and  in  geodes 
in  various  mines. 

3.  Rose  quartz. — Quartz  Hill. 

4.  Agate,  (moss  agate,  &c.) — Middle  Park,  Arkansas  River  Park,  &c. 

5.  Amethyst. — Nevada  City,  Mill  City,  &c. 

6.  Aventurine. — Elk  Creek. 

7.  Heliotrope,  (bloodstone.) — Middle  Park. 
9.  Carnelian. — South  Park  and  Middle  Park. 

30.  Chalcedony.— South  Park,  Trout  Creek  Pass,  &c. 

11.  Chrysoprase. — Middle  Park. 

12.  Jasper. — South  and  Middle  Parks. 

13.  Onyx.— Middle  Park,  Grand  River,  &c. 

14.  Sardonyx. — Golden  City,  Mount  Vernon. 

Hornstone,  flint,  milk  quartz,  prase,  catseye,  firestone,  and  other 
different  varieties  of  silicic  acid,  are  met  with  in  the  above  localities,  but 
have  no  especial  interest. 

Opal,  (hydrated  silicic  acid.) — Idaho  City,  Golden  City,  South  Boul- 
der, &c. 

Feldspar. — Very  abundant  in  the  mountains  and  as  boulders  and 
pebbles  throughout  the  Territory.  Associated  with  quartz  in  the  granites, 
gneisses,  and  porphyries  of  the  gold-bearing  mountains. 

a.  Orthoclase  (A12O3 .  3SiO3  -f  KO.SiO3)  is  largely  the  predominant 
feldspar  in  the  rocks  of  Colorado. 

a  1.  Pegmatolite. — Flesh-red,  orthoclastic,  abundant  as  pebbles,  scat- 
tered with  quartz  over  the  prairies  for  hundreds  of  miles.  Eorms  red 
granites  and  gneisses  with  quartz  and  mica,  and  red  syenites  with  horn- 
blende. Very  common. 

a  2.  Adularia. — Forms  a  white  porphyry  when  associated  with  quartz 
in  many  places  along  Fall  River,  and  in  many  veins.  Not  common. 

a  3.  Sanidin. — Fine  crystals  of  hopper-shaped  sanidin  from  Quartz  Hill. 

1).  Plagioclastic  feldspars. 

b  1.  Albite,  (A12O3 .  3SiO3  +  NaO  .  SiO3.j— Trout  Creek  Pass. 

&  2.  Oligoclase. — Arkansas  River  Park,  &c. 

1)  3.  Labrador,  (A12O3 .  SiO3  -f  CaO .  SiO3.) — In  the  basalts  and  diabases 
of  the  region  about  the  Spanish  Peaks,  Trinidad,  the  upper  part  of  San 
Luis  Park,  and  the  Puntia  Pass. 

Hornblende,  (silicate  of  lime,  magnesia,  and  suboxide  of  iron). — In  the 
syenite  in  and  around  Idaho. 

Diorite. — Near  Empire  City  and  elsewhere. 

Garnet.— South  Park,  twenty  miles  from  Fairplay.    Breckenridge. 

Mica,  (KO  .  Si03  +  A12O3 .  SiO3  +  RO  .  SiO3.) 

1.  Potash  mica. — Light  colored.    Frequent  in  the  gneisses  of  Gilpin 
and  other  counties. 

2.  Magnesian  mica, — Dark  colored.    Frequent  in  the  gneisses  of  South 
Park,  Trout  Creek  Pass,  &c. 

Lemite,  (A12O3 .  SiO3  +  KO .  SiO3.)— In  trachytic  lava  between  the 
Cuchara  and  the  Apishpa. 

Chlorite. — In  diabase,  near  Trinidad. 

Amphibole,  (augite). — In  basalts,  near  Trinidad,  and  diabase  near 
Apishpa. 

Epidote,  (CaO  .  SiO3  +  [A12O3  +  Fe2O3]  SiO3.)— Trail  Creek. 

Tourmaline. — Guy  Hill. 

Cole  spar,  (CaO  .  Co2.) — Very  widely  distributed.    Idaho,  &c.,  &c. 

Gypsum,  (CaO .  SO3  -f  HO.)— Interstratified  in  the  new  red  sandstone 


108  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

or  triassic  beds.  South  Park,  &c.  Also,  accompanying  the  coal  in  thin 
scales. 

Anhydrite. — Elk  Creek. 

Salt,  (Nad.) — In  solution  in  many  springs.  As  deposit  on  rocks  in 
their  vicinity. 

Heavy  spar,  (BaO  .  SO3.)— As  gangue  rock  in  many  mines.  Baker 
lode,  &c. 

Meteoric  iron. — Found  near  Bear  Creek. 

Beryl,  (Al2O3.2SiO3  +  G12O3  2SiO3.)— Bear  Creek. 

Brucite,  (MgO  .  HO.)— James  Creek. 

Idocrase,  [(CaO  +  MgO)  SiOJ— Bear  Creek. 

ILAPORTE  ON  THE  CACHE  A  LA  POUDRE. 

The  town  lies  on  both  banks  of  the  above  creek.  The  appearance  of 
the  country  is  that  of  a  number  of  superposed  layers  or  strata  dipping 
from  the  mountains,  and  presenting  a  steep  and  more  or  less  rugged 
basset  face  toward  them.  The  canon  along  which  the  river  makes  its  way 
through  these  " hog-backs"  intersects  the  latter  nearly  at  right  angles. 
We  followed  a  canon  to  the  north  of  that  of  the  river,  and  rode  twelve 
miles  to  the  extremity  of  the  bluff  on  the  left.  The  bluff  to  the  right 
hand  was  broken,  and  exhibited  a  clearly  denned  stratified  side  with 
red  sandstone,  limestone,  and  conglomerate  succeeding  each  other  in 
the  order  named. 

On  turning  the  extremity  of  the  bluff  to  the  right  we  came  upon  a 
very  weathered  syenite  region  remarkable  for  the  redness  of  its  talus. 

The  mineral  veins  which  our  guide  brought  us  to  see  were  all  situated 
within  an  area  of  a  square  mile  or  so,  in  these  syenite  hills. 

The  first  proved  to  be  a  dike  or  vein  of  syenite  intersecting  an  older 
rock  of  the  same,  which  showed  on  the  surface  a  very  thoroughly  decom- 
posed rock,  containing  an  excess  of  iron,  which  gave  it  a  specific  gravity 
rather  higher  than  usual  and  a  dark  brown  color.  Hornblende  pre- 
dominated in  the  rock.  There  were  here  and  there  traces  of  various 
ores  of  copper,  and  lining  the  walls  of  the  small  cavities  in  the  rock 
was  observed  a  thin  film  of  gypsum  and  chloride  of  sodium.  This  spot 
was  situated  upon  the  east  bank  of  the  North  Fork  of  the  Cache  a  la 
Poudre,  and  about  three  hundred  feet  above  that  stream. 

The  next  opening  we  visited  was  about  half  a  mile  northwest,  and 
was  called  Maxwell's  opening.  This  was  again  a  dark-colored,  not  very 
distinguishable  syenite,  coated  with  malachite,  and  more  or  less  per- 
meated by  copper  pyrites.  The  opening  was  seven  feet  deep  and  the 
crevice  four  or  five  feet  wide,  and  the  two  pay  streaks  situated,  the  one 
against  the  south  wall  rock,  and  the  other  about  thirty  inches  there- 
from. The  ore  becomes  harder  and  more  solid  the  deeper  it  is  found. 

Hole  No.  3  was  three  hundred  yards  from  No.  2.  It  was  about  four 
feet  deep,  two  and  a  half  inches  wide,  and  four  feet  long:  The  rock  was 
silicious  and  intimately  mixed  with  a  yellowish  clay,  which,  with  the 
reddish  tinge  due  to  the  oxide  of  iron,  gave  the  Avliole  mass  a  copper 
color,  which  probably  misled  the  prospectors  and  caused  the  digging  of 
the  hole.  A  little  copper  pyrites  was  observable  and  a  very  little  ma-  ^ 
lachite.  i 

Hole  No.  4  had  been  sunk  by  some  Frenchmen  fifteen  feet  deep,  three 
and  a  half  feet  wide,  and  five  feet  long.  The  rock  described  as  compos- 
ing No.  3  occurs  with  a  curious  slag-like  silex  containing  very  plain 
pseudomorphs  of  cubes  of  iron  pyrites.  In  this  ore  was  a  little  copper 
pyrites  and  malachite. 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND  NEW   MEXICO.  109 

Lastly  we  emerged  upon  a  precipitous  narrow  dike  of  quartz  por- 
phyry overhanging  the  before-mentioned  creek  on  its  right  bank,  and 
forming  an  abrupt  wall  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  its  bed.  The 
crystals,  both  of  quartz  and  feldspar,  were  very  large,  averaging  the 
size  of  a  man's  hand.  The  quartz  was  standing  transparent  and  milky, 
while  the  feldspar  was  of  the  true  flesh-red  color  common  to  typical  peg- 
matolite. 

BOULDER  CITY,  JULY  5. 

Obtained  specimens  of  ores  from  leads  ten  miles  from  this  place  up 
the  James  Creek.  A  fine  solid  specimen  of  argentiferous  galena  was 
given  to  me  from  one  foot  beneath  the  surface  at  the  intersection  of  the 
Buckhorn  and  Big  Thing  lodes.  Mr.  Arnett,  the  owner  of  the  claim, 
states  that  this  ore  runs  from  $125  to  $200  per  ton  in  silver,  and  $300 
in  gold.  I  also  obtained  a  specimen  of  very  fine-looking  ore  from  the 
Horsefall  mine,  ten  miles  from  Boulder  City,  in  Gold  Hill. 

Near  Boulder  City,  on  the  property  owned  by  Mr.  Marshall,  occur  some 
fine,  exposures  of  coal,  which  have  been  visited  by  Dr.  J.  LeConte,  and 
examined  subsequently  with  much  care  by  yourself,  so  that  a  special 
report  from  me  upon  them  would  be  superfluous.  I  will  confine  myself, 
therefore,  to  the  mere  statement  that,  in  a  distance  east  and  west  of  a 
couple  of  miles,  there  are  eleven  exposures  of  very  excellent  coal,  at  least 
nine  of  which  would  seem  to  promise  rich  rewards  for  the  working.  The 
mining  which  has  as  yet  been  done,  was  merely  to  fix  the  location  and 
investigate  the  extent  of  the  veins,  as  well  as  that  could  be  done  at  the 
surface.  The  beds  appear  to  be  large  enough  to  yield  with  proper  appli- 
ances a  thousand  tons  a  day  for  an  indefinite  time.  The  commercial 
value  of  this  coal  when  the  country  is  a  little  more  settled  can  hardly  be 
overestimated.  The  color  is  a  dark  brownish  or  bluish  black,  with  a  high 
luster  and  low  specific  gravity.  It  breaks,  as  does  all  of  this  recent  coal 
which  I  have  observed  along  the  flanks  of  the  Eocky  Mountains,  with 
the  exception  of  the  rare  anthracite,  into  parallelopipeda.  This  friabil- 
ity is  annoying  to  the  smelter,  who  finds  that  it  chokes  up  his  grate  bars 
and  stops  the  draught,  but  it  has  been  successfully  combated  in  the  works 
of  Professor  Hill,  of  Blackhawk,  by  the  use  of  the  staircase  furnace. 
This  coal  contains  very  few  impurities,  and  can  be  and  is  used  in  the 
blacksmith's  forge  without  previous  coking.  Specimens  have  been  pro- 
cured from  these  various  veins  and  will  be  analyzed  at  the  earliest  oppor- 
tunity and  the  results  submitted  to  you.* 

GOLDEN  CITY. 

Golden  City  is  situated  nearly  west  from  Denver,  on  a  gently  sloping 
plain  at  the  inner  extremity  of  the  canon  between  two  singular  mesas  or 
table  mountains  of  igneous  rock,  capped,  like  the  innumerable  mesas  fur- 
ther south,  with  thick  slabs  of  basalt.  The  western  border  of  the  beau- 
tiful valley  in  which  Golden  City  is  built,  is  formed  of  the  gneissic  rocks, 
upon  which  rest  the  triassic  (partly  variegated  and  partfy  white)  beds, 
and  then  follow  the  Jurassic  and  cretaceous,  but  ill-defined  on  account 
of  the  unbroken  grassy  sward  which  usually  conceals  them.  The  dip  of  the 
tertiary  beds  is  here"  beyond  the  vertical,  so  that  they  seem  to  incline 
toward  the  mountains.  There  is  a  lead  of  silica  in  a  state  of  fine  divi- 
sion which  has  been  opened  on  a  hill  of  triassic.  On  the  west  side  of 

*  I  forward  to  you  as  a  supplement  to  this  report  analyses  of  some  coals  from 
Wyoming  Territory,  and  hope  to  add  the  Boulder  coals  thereto  shortly. 


110  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

a  little  valley  separating  the  cretaceous  and  tertiary,  occur,  in  order,  clay, 
sandstone,  clay,  coal,  (one  and  a  half  to  two  feet  thick,)  clay,  sandstone. 
Throughout  the  beds  overlying  this  coal  seam,  in  the  natural  order  of 
deposition,  but,  in  point  of  fact,  underlying  it  on  account  of  the  abnor- 
mal dip  of  the  rocks,  are  many  indications  of  lesser  coal  beds  which  as 
yet  have  not  been  opened.  About  ten  feet  below  the  nethermost  sand- 
stone (in  age  above  it)  occurs  a  vein  of  fine  brick  clay  ten  to  fifteen  feet 
thick.  The  limit  of  this  stratum  on  its  east  side  has  not  yet  been  reached, 
but  the  clay  grows  purer  and  more  and  more  free  from  iron  in  that 
direction.  On  the  west  side  of  this  bed  the  clay  is  not  utilizable  on 
account  of  the  presence  in  it  of  iron,  which  forms  a  fusible  double  silicate 
and  melts  out,  leaving  the  mass  full  of  holes.  A  pottery  has  been  started 
and  bids  fair  to  compete  successfully  with  the  best  establishments  of 
similar  character  elsewhere.  As  yet  the  proprietor  confines  himself  to 
the  manufacture  of  earthenware,  but  contemplates  increasing  the  extent 
and  variety  of  the  products  of  this  pioneer  pottery,  and  even  hopes  in 
time  to  be  able  to  rival  the  best  English  white  ware. 

Friday,  July  10. — From  Golden  City  to  a  point  on  the  mail  road  nine 
miles  east  of  Idaho  City. — At  Mount  Yernon  the  road  enters  a  canon,  *and 
after  cutting  across  a  red  syenite,  passes  into  a  region  of  finely  lami- 
nated gneiss.  From  this  point  the  springs  become  more  frequent.  A 
number  of  quartz  veins  crop  out  on  the  sides  of  the  road.  Visited  a 
lode  situated  about  two  hundred  yards  south  of  the  road  and  half  a  mile 
west  of  the  stage  station.  The  crevice  was  eight  feet  wide,  and  the  dis- 
covery shaft  ten  feet  deep.  The  quartz  (which  was  very  rotten)  exhib- 
ited iron  and  arsenical  pyrites,  copper  glance,  and  galena.  The  wall 
rock  on  the  south  side  was  not  much  weathered,  whereas  the  proper 
north  wall-rock  had  not  been  reached.  Not  far  from  this  opening  was 
another  shaft  thirty  feet  deep.  The  ore  from  it  was  rich  in  malachite, 
copper  pyrites,  peacock  ore,  and  copper  glance.  Beautiful  rhombohedra 
of  calcite  were  obtained  from  the  gaugue  rock.  This  claim  was  to  have 
been  sold  in  1863  to  parties  in  New  York  for  $25,000,  but  owing  to  the 
effect  produced  by  the  panic  among  owners  of  Colorado  mines  in  that 
year,  the  sale  was  not  consummated,  and  the  claim  has  lain  idle  ever 
since. 

An  opening  on  another  lode  still  further  west  revealed  copper  pyrites, 
malachite,  galena,  and  silver  glance.  Fine  calc-spar  crystals  were  ob- 
tained here  also. 

July  17. — Our  route  lay  through  Idaho  City,  nine  miles  distant.  The 
first  part  of  the  road  wound  its  way  through  masses  of  red  and  gray 
gneiss,  intersected  here  and  there  by  veins  of  white  quartz.  Now  and 
then  this  gneiss  alters  its  character,  both  in  habitus  and  color.  Two 
or  three  dikes  of  quartz  porphyry  cross  the  road. 

The  placer  mining  is  carried  on  extensively  on  Clear  Creek,  there  being 
sixteen  sluices  between  the  intersection  of  the  road  and  creek  and  Idaho 
City.  One  party  of  the  miners  informed  me  that  they  averaged  $12  per 
day  per  man.  They  had  five  rifles  in  operation. 

On  the  banks  of  Clear  Creek  the  rocks  were  much  contorted  and 
flexed ;  general  dip,  northwest. 

The  hills  on  the  right  bank  of  the  creek  are  much  more  weathered 
and  rounded  off  than  those  on  the  opposite  bank.  Gneiss  of  all 
kinds,  heavy  and  thin  bedded,  coarse  and  fine  grained,  red  and  gray, 
with  all  possible  combinations  of  these  varieties,  were  observed.  Near 
Idaho  the  gneiss  becomes  somewhat  suddenly  very  micaceous. 

There  are  six  sluices  in  operation  between  Idaho  and  three-quarters  of 
a  mile  above  that  city.  Beyond  this  there  is  no  gulch  mining  attempted. 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO.  Ill 

At  Idaho  there  is  a  hot  soda  spring,  whose  waters,  however,  I  did  not 
analyze.  Just  above  Idaho  is  a  sluice  which  once  upon  a  time  washed 
out  one  ounce  of  gold  (twenty- three  dollars)  per  hand  per  diem,  but  the 
best  is  now  washed  out.  Near  Seven-mile  bridge  the  gneiss  pitches 
almost  vertically  on  the  right  bank  of  the  creek,  and  resting  upon  these 
upturned  basset  edges  were  huge  masses  of  gray  granite. 

GEORGETOWN. 

The  characteristic  mineral  of  the  country  is  zincblende,  associated  with 
galena,  iron  pyrites,  and  comparatively  little  copper  pyrites.  The  most 
usual  gangue  rock  is  decomposed  porphyry,  and  decomposed  granite, 
with  much  quartz.  The  country  rock  is  composed  mainly  of  gneiss.  In 
West  Argentine  there  is  considerable  fluor  spar  occurring,  as  gangue 
rock. 

Baker  lode. — So  far  as  an  approximation  to  an  average  dip  could  be 
got,  this  appeared  to  be  east  northeast,  but  throughout  the  region  the 
rocks  are  huddled  together  with  such  irregularity  that  nothing  definite 
can  be  stated  about  either  the  general  dip  or  the  general  strike  of  the 
rocks.  The  general  strike  of  the  veins  is  east  of  north,  and  their  pitch 
nearly  vertical. 

Broicn  lode. — At  most  of  the  mines  the  ore  is  got  out  by  hoisting,  but 
at  this  one  there  is  a  tunnel  driven  in  sixteen  hundred  feet  above  the 
bed  of  the  creek  to  intersect  the  shaft.  The  mouth  of  this  latter  is  one 
hundred  and  ten  feet  above  the  tunnel,  and  is  met  by  the  above-mentioned 
cross-cut,  (one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  long,)  and  by  a  drift  extending 
(up  to  the  date  of  these  notes)  but  thirty  feet  out  from  it.  The  ores  found 
in  the  Brown  lode  are  native  (wire)  silver,  antimonial  silver,  (AgSb3,) 
stephanite,  copper-fahlerz,  polybasite,  and  the  dark  and  light  ruby  ores. 
The  amalgamation  works  below  here  are  usually  supplied  with  ores  con- 
taining less  than  five  per  cent,  of  lead. 

An  engine  of  thirty  horse-power  drives  the  machinery  of  the  mill, 
and  in  winter  time  warms  the  water  intended  for  the  wet  stamps,  and 
the  building  itself,  by  means  of  a  steam-pipe  leading  to  the  tank  con- 
taining the  water.  The  mines  are  not  troubled  by  water.  In  last  April 
the  miners  had  some  trifling  difficulty  to  contend  against  after  the  spring 
thaw ;  but  this  was  promptly  met  and  overcome.  There  are  twenty 
stamps  for  wet  crushing  and  four  others  each  of  500  pounds  weight.  The 
ore  contains  about  twenty  per  cent,  lead,  but  this  is  insufficient  to  meet 
the  wants  of  the  furnace,  and  lead  is  bought  to  supply  the  deficiency. 
Thirty-five  per  cent,  of  lead  is  necessary  to  the  carrying  on  of  the  pro- 
cess. There  are  two  classes  of  ore  which  are  dressed  or  separated  by 
hand.  The  first-class  ore  is  crushed  dry  and  goes  directly  to  the  furnace. 
The  second-class  ore  is  crushed  wet,  and  dressed  by  means  of  a  circular 
buddle  revolving  from  fifteen  to  twenty  times  per  minute.  Under  one 
hundred  ounces  per  ton,  the  ore  is  not  treated,  but  is  dumped,  out  and 
saved  in  the  hope  that  the  reduced  price  of  labor  or  some*  more  econom- 
ical process  may  enable  the  owners  to  work  it  to  advantage.* 

The  ore,  after  having  been  dressed  and  sorted  as  above-mentioned,  is 
mixed  with  ten  per  cent,  lime  and  fifteen  per  cent,  iron,  and  is  subjected 
to  a  low  red  heat  in  a  reverberatory  furnace  to  reduce  any  argentiferous 
litharge  that  may  be  present.  Then  high  heat  is  given,  and  the  sulphide 
is  converted  into  argentiferous  lead  and  matt,  according  to  the  usual 
method. 

*  One  per  cent,  silver  equals  about  three  hundred  ounces  per  ton,  so  that  one  hundred 
ounces  per  ton  equals  one-third  of  one  per  cent. 


112        SURVEY  OF  COLORADO  AND  NEW  MEXICO. 

The  roasting  requires  from  twelve  to  fifteen  hours  and  the  smelting 
twelve  hours  more  in  the  reverberatory  furnace.  The  matt,  after  being 
separated  from  the  argentiferous  lead,  is  stored  away  to  be  worked  over 
at  the  end  of  every  run  ;  or  if  the  furnace  clogs  up  some  of  it  is  added,  to 
clean  it  out  by  its  fusibility. 

A  run  occupies  usually  twenty  days,  more  or  less.  In  regard  to  the 
amount  of  work  done  by  this  company  the  following  statement  may  be 
of  interest,  as  giving  the  total  from  January  to  August  of  1869. 

Total  number  tons  of  ore  treated  in  furnace,  188. 

Average  assay  value  of  ore  per  ton,  200  ounces. 

Percentage  of  assay  value  saved,  90  per  cent. 

The  Terrible  shaft  is  opened  four  hundred  feet  below  the  Brown.  In 
April  last  the  workmen  were  shut  out  from  their  shaft  by  the  rapid 
invasion  of  water,  but  since  then  there  has  been  no  trouble.  The  Ter- 
rible ores  have  already  attained  a  widespread  reputation  for  richness. 
The  main  difference  between  them  and  the  Brown  ores  is  that  they  are 
richer  in  brittle,  and  the  Brown  in  ruby,  silver.* 

The  Baker  mine. — The  mill  belonging  to  this  company  is  situated  some 
four  miles  up  the  canon  known  as  West  Argentine,  and  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  creek  from  the  Brown  lode.  It  is  one  of  the  very  finest 
structures  of  the  kind  ever  erected  in  this  Territory,  but  was  not  quite 
completed  at  the  time  of  my  visit.  On  the  floor  of  the  mill  under  the 
apertures  through  which  the  ore  is  to  be  delivered,  is  a  drying  hearth  for 
drying  the  wet  ores.  After  the  moisture  has  been  driven  off  the  ore  is 
crushed  in  Dubois's  breaker  and  ball-crusher.  The  former  of  these 
machines  resembles  the  breaker  known  generally  in  Europe  under  the 
name  of  "  the  American  nut-cracker.'-  The  ball-crusher  is  a  cylinder 
formed  of  strong  iron  staves,  which  are  attached  at  their  extremities  to 
two  stout  iron  disks  in  such  a  way  as  to  leave  a  very  small  crack  between 
each'  two  f  f  them.  Three  to  four  hundred  pounds  of  iron  balls  are  then 
put  in  with  the  ore  and  the  cylinder  revolved  on  its  axis.  The  finely 
powdered  rock  falls  through  the  cracks  into  a  hopper  built  to  receive  it, 
and  through  this  hopper  into  an  iron  cylinder  twelve  feet  long  and  eight 
feet  in  diameter,  with  a  helix  attached  to  its  inner  surface  for  the  pur- 
pose of  continually  turning  the  ore,  and  thus  presenting  a  fresh  surface 
for  oxidation.  Fire  is  at  first  applied,  and  this  cylinder  is  made  to  rotate 
slowly,  and  in  a  short  time  the  sulphur  of  the  ore  is  ignited,  whereupon 
the  extraneous  fire  is  withdrawn  and  the  oxidation  continues  with  the 
assistance  of  the  heat  from  the  burning  sulphur.  The  supply  of  atmos- 
pheric air  to  the  interior  is  regulated  by  means  of  a  door  to  an  opening 
at  one  extremity  of  the  cylinder's  axis,  while  the  volatilized  oxides  of  lead 
and  zinc  and  silver  are  led  through  a  pipe  connecting  with  the  other 
extremity  of  the  axis  to  condensing  chambers  and  thus  saved. 

After  a  thorough  roasting  the  ore  is  let  out  upon  cooling  floors,  and 
from  that  transferred  to  the  amalgamating  barrels. 

The  Baker  ores  contain  much  ziucblende  and  will  average  perhaps  sixty 
ounces  silver  per  ton,  though  occasionally  rich  pockets  are  met  with  in  the 
mine,  the  ores  from  which  have  given  remarkably  high  results.  Eed  and 
white  varieties  of  fluorspar  occur  largely  as  gangue  rock  of  the  lode. 

The  Eurleigli  tunnel. — This  is  about  half  a  mile  distant  from  the  Brown 
lode  toward  Georgetown.  The  object  had  in  view  by  the  proprietors  of 
this  tunnel  is  to  intersect  all  the  lodes  whose  strike  is  with  the  trend  of 
the  mountain  in  which  it  is  being  driven.  The  rock  is  quite  hard,  and 
only  one  hundred  feet  had  been  bored  when  it  was  inspected.  The  boring 

*  The  average  assay  value  of  brittle  silver  is  five  thousand  ounces  per  ton. 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO.  113 

is  done  by  means  of  steel  drills  worked  by  compressed  air,  the  machine 
for  driving  them  being  mounted  on  a  car  running  on  rails.  A  steam 
engine  outside  compresses  the  air  and  forces  it  through  pipes  to  the 
machine  in  the  interior.  It  is  expected  that  a  lode  will  be  intersected 
about  one  hundred  feet  further  in. 

The  Snowdrift  mine. — This  mine  is  three  quarters  of  a  mile  below  the 
Brown  lode,  on  the  same  side  of  the  creek,  and  is  five  hundred  feet  higher 
up  the  mountain  than  the  same.  The  ores  are  chiefly  sulphuret,  (silver 
glance,)  and  galena.  Very  little  iron  or  copper  pyrites  or  zincblende  is 
met  with.  The  vein  is  five  feet  in  thickness,  and  the  pay  streak,  (one- 
half  of  which  is  said  to  be  composed  of  silver  glance,)  six  inches  IB 
width.  The  cost  of  getting  out  five  tons  (including  wages,  &c.)  was 
seventy  dollars,  and  the  ore  averages  one  hundred  ounces  per  ton. 

The  Griffith  lode. — This  lode,  like  the  Gregory,  near  Central  City,  is 
the  oldest  as  well  as  one  of  the  richest  in  the  vicinity  of  Georgetown. 
It  is  situated  in  a  high  hill  or  mountain  on  the  right  bank  of  Clear 
Creek.  The  shaft  opening  is  about  half  way  up  this  hill.  The  shaft  is 
one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  feet  deep,  from  which  a  drift  has  been 
struck  fifty  feet  east,  and  ten  feet  west.  The  dip  of  the  vein  is  a  trifle 
south,  though  it  is  nearly  vertical.  The  crevice  averages  perhaps  four 
to  five  feet,  and  its  north  wall-rock  is  a  syenite,  while  the  south  wall 
rock  appears  to  be  a  weathered  granite.  Assays  show  values  of  from  one 
hundred  to  seven  hundred  ounces  per  ton.  The  ore  will  average  per- 
haps one  hundred  and  fifty  ounces  per  ton.  The  expectation  was,  when 
the  improvements  in  progress  had  been  made,  to  tajie  out  fifty  tons  of  ore 
per  Mem.  Some  little  trouble  was  experienced  from  water  in  the  early 
spring,  but  not  enough  to  hamper  the  efficient  working  of  the  mine. 

This  company  owns  twenty-five  feet  each  side  of  the  lode  and  three 
hundred  on  the  lode  each  side  of  the  discovery  shaft.*  The  upper  part 
of  the  north  wall-rock  consists  of  a  decomposed,  yellowish  coarse-grained 
mixture  of  gneiss  and  quartz  porphyry,  but  below  it  is  a  hard,  compact 
syenite.  The  south  wall-rock  appears  to  be,  above,  a  reddish  ferruginous 
weathered  granite,  and,  below,  a  white,  compact  quartz  porphyry. 

The  following  is  as  accurate  a  list  as  could  be  obtained  of  the  princi- 
pal lodes  worked  at  the  present  time  in  the  vicinity  of  Georgetown : 
Baker,  (worked  for  three  years;)  Brown  and  Coin,  Terrible,  Lily,  Men- 
dota,  Snowdrift,  White,  Elijah  Hise,  Win.  B.  Astor,  Cliff,  New  Boston, 
B.  Nuckles,  Belmont,  Continental,  Equator,  Gilpin,  Griffith,  Comet, 
Magnet,  Anglo-Saxon,*  Young  America,  and  Wall  Street. 

There  are  seven  mills  and  dressing  works  in  the  vicinity. 

From  the  Equatpi  and  Terrible  the  first-class  ores  are  hand-dressed, 
(from  the  former  simply  broken  and  boxed,  from  the  latter  crushed  and 
sacked,)  and  sent  to  the  East  for  further  treatment.  The  lead  is  not  paid 
for.  I  am  informed  that  in  the  New  Boston  mine  there  is  in  one  place 
fifteen  feet  of  solid  galena.  The  same  authority  states  that  a  shaft  was 
sunk  on  the  vein  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  before  it  was  dis- 
covered that  the  crevice,  instead  of  five,  was  fifteen  feet  in  breadth. 

J.  0.  Stuart's  mill. — This  mill  stands  on  the  left  bank  of  Clear  Creek, 
just  below  Georgetown,  and  is  built  for  custom  ores.  The  greater  part 
of  the  business  of  this  mill  is  derived  from  the  Equator  and  Terrible 
second-class  ores.  The  average  amount  of  ore  put  through  the  mill  is 
about  three  tons  a  day,  or  one  thousand  tons  a  year.  The  process  is 

*  See  Mining  Laws  of  Colorado. 

t  In  the  Anglo-Saxon,  I  am  informed  that  native  silver  predominates  over  all  other 
metals,  but  the  pay  streak  is  very  narrow. 

8  as 


114  SURVEY    OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO. 

the  same  used  in  California  and  Nevada.  Ores  are  never  sent  here  for 
treatment  which  assay  less  than  $60  per  ton,  and  the  average  is  about 
$100  per  ton.  These  ores  are  roasted  with  salt  in  a  reverberatory  fur- 
nace and  amalgamated  in  pans.  They  consist  chiefly  of  silver  glance, 
zinc  blende,  and  copper  (and  iron)  pyrites.  They  are  first  dried  in  an  iron 
pan  and  then  crushed  dry  in  a  six-stamp  mill.  After  this  they  are  sub- 
mitted to  a  chloridizing  roasting  in  a  reverberatory  furnace  with  salt.  The 
pyrites  contained  in  the  ore  is  sufficient  in  amount  to  react  on  the  cloride 
of  sodium  and  set  free  tl  e  chlorine  without  the  necessity  of  adding  sul- 
phate of  iron,  which  is  usually  done.  The  material  is  then  amalga- 
mated in  iron  pans  and  filtered  through  cloths,  after  which  it  is  retorted, 
assayed,  melted,  run  into  bricks,  and  stamped.  The  ore  from  the  Whale 
lode  contains  about  equal  values  of  silver  and  gold,  and  will  be  run  into 
bars  as  auriferous  silver  and  sent  East  for  separation. 

EMPIEB  CITY. 

The  principal  mines  in  the  neighborhood  of  Empire  City  are  the 
Conqueror,  Silver  Mountain,  Tenth  Legion,  Empire,  Livingstone,  At- 
lantic, Gold  Dirt,  Eosencranz,  Eupp  and  Cross,  Tom  Benton,  and  Star, 
the  Curtis,  and  Ellsworth,  (the  former  close  to  Mr.  Ball's  mill,  and  the 
latter  almost  in  the  town,)  and  the  Bay  State.  Many  others  look  favor- 
ably, but  are  not  mentioned,  because  the  shafts  are  not  yet  sunk  deep 
enough  to  render  an  intelligent  opinion  of  their  capacity  possible. 

The  Conqueror  lode. — This  lode  is  located  a  mile  or  two  above  the 
settlement  of  Upper  Empire.  The  shaft  is  two  hundred  and  seventy 
feet  deep,  and  the  ore  is  all  pyrites  in  a  fine  state  of  division.  There 
are,  as  yet,  no  drifts  commenced,  but  the  ore  is  shoveled  out  into  buck- 
ets and  dumped  out  as  a  mass,  resembling  moist  sandy  clay,  inter- 
spersed with  fine  crystals  of  iron  pyrites.  The  engine,  which  is  of  twen- 
ty-two horse  power,  hoists  out  in  forty  seconds.  They  get  out  two  cords 
of  ore,  at  from  eight  to  ten  tons  per  cord,  in  a  day.  This  Conqueror  ore 
assays  very  well,  but  the  data  of  its  yield  I  am  unable  to  find  in  my 
notes. 

The  Eosencranz  ore  resembles  that  of  the  Conqueror.  The  crevice  of 
the  Silver  Mountain  lode  is  five  and  one-half  feet  thick.  It  had  lain 
idle  for  some  months  previous  to  the  date  of  my  visit,  (July,)  and  there 
were  ten  fee  ^  of  drift  snow  in  the  bottom  of  the  shaft  when  I  descended 
it.  The  roof  and  walls  of  the  mine  were  covered  with  fine  crystals  of 
Green  Vitrol. 

All  these  lodes  were  recorded  as  striking  northeasf  and  southwest. 

Mr.  Ball  assures  me  that  the  general  character  of  the  gangue  rock  in 
all  this  district  is  granitic. 

There  are  nine  amalgamation  mills  in  this  (the  Union)  district. 

CEKTEAL  CITY. 

The  Gregory  lode. — This  crops  out  near  the  lower  end  of  Central 
City,  was  the  first  discovered  in  Colorado,  and  has  been  worked  ever 
since  with  profit,  in  spite  of  the  disturbances  which  have  checked  the 
development  of  so  many  other  mines.  At  present  there  are  seventeen 
shafts  sunk  in  the  lode,  only  three  of  which  are  being  worked.  The  first 
class  ore  of  this  vein  is  an  iron  pyrites  in  which  a  tolerably  constant  per- 
centage of  gold  is  found  mechanically  diffused,  (or  as  some  think  chem- 
ically combined,  with  sulphur,)  but  at  all  events  in  a  state  of  very  fine 


pa 
dr 


SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND   NEW   MEXICO.  115 

division.  The  ore  assays  from  three  to  six  ounces  gold  per  ton,  and  is 
sold  to  Professor  Hill  for  treatment  in  his  smelting  works. 

A  somewhat  singular  phenomenon  is  the  occurrence,  at  No.  4  Gregory 
Lode,  (Brace's  claim,)  of  three  separate  veins  in  a  breadth  of  fifteen  feet. 
These  veins  are  named  the  Dead  Broke,  Gregory,  and  Foote  and  Sim- 
mons. They  are  divided  from  each  other  by  thin  walls  of  country 
rock,  in  some  places  two  inches  and  less  in  thickness,  but  were  virtually 
regarded  and  wrought  as  one  vein.  A  little  higher  up  on  Gregory  hill 
these  veins  diverge  in  three  different  directions,  and  at  a  depth  of  two 
hundred  and  sixty  feet  in  the  Smith  and  Parmelee  shaft  the  latter  two 
are  seventy  feet  apart. 

Smith  and  Parmelee  mine.  —  This  claim  was  wrought  for  the  first 
forty  feet  as  one  vein.  It  there  divides  over  a  mass  of  country  rock, 
and,  as  above  stated,  the  veins  diverge  continually  at  lower  depths.  At 
the  surface  in  many  places,  the  lode  in  which  this  claim  is  situated  ap- 
pears to  dip  with  the  country  rock,  but  deeper  the  latter  becomes  almost 
horizontal,  while  the  vein  continues  its  course  downward  as  a  true  fis- 
sure vein.  At  a  depth  of  two  hundred  and  sixty  feet  work  was  con- 
ducted on  the  north  vein,  and  a  cross-cut  was  run  out  to  the  Gregory 
lode  in  which  there  are  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  of  good  ore  which 
has  not  yet  been  stoped  out.  The  level  in  the  Gregory  vein  has  been 
run  east  and  west  eighty  feet. 

The  breadth  of  the  vein  is,  on  the  average,  two  feet,  and  of  the  iron  or 

y  streak,  te*n  inches.  The  average  assay  value  of  the  ore  is  one  hun- 
red and  twenty-five  dollars  per  ton.  It  is  sold  to  Professor  Hill.  At 
a  depth  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  there  is  another  level  run,  and 
this  is  as  deep  as  the  Gregory  vein  proper  has  been  wrought.  In  this 
level  the  appearance  of  the  ore  is  unchanged.  The  mill  and  machinery 
had  been  overhauled  and  put  into  better  condition  than  ever  before,  and 
the  management  having  fallen  into  new  hands  everything  seemed  to  be 
conducted  with  an  energy  and  attention  to  details  which  cannot  fail  to 
make  the  enterprise  a  success.  Twenty  -five  five-hundred-pound  stamps 
were  at  work,  the  hoisting  machinery  was  in  good  order,  ventilation 
perfect,  and  the  stulls  in  good  condition.  The  cost  of  these  large  tim- 
bers is  enormous,  and  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  other  appointments  of 
the  mine.  One  of  them,  eight  to  ten  feet  long,  will  cost  ten  dollars 
before  it  is  in  its  place. 

Briggs's  mine.  —  This  claim  adgoins  the  Smith  and  Parmelee,  and  is 
owned  and  superintended  by  the  brothers  Briggs.  Everything  about 
the  mine  and  mill  indicated  that  work  was  being  conducted  with  intel- 
ligence and  care.  The  condition  of  ladders  and  cribbing  was  good.  I 
will  venture  to  make  one  suggestion  of  an  improvement  which  will 
apply  to  the  majority  of  all  the  mines  here,  as  well  as  to  this  one.  In 
some  cases,  where  deep  shafts  or  other  dangerous  places  must  be  passed 
by  the  miners  in  their  passage  to  and  from  their  work,  a  proper  regard 
for  their  safety  should  induce  the  company  to  see  to  it  that  every  acci- 
dent which  could  endanger  life  is  guarded  against.*  In  some  few  cases 
this  has  been  overlooked.  The  Gregory  and  Briggs  veins,  together  at 
the  surface,  are  fifty  feet  apart  at  a  depth  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 
The  distance  between  the  wall  rocks  varies  from  four  to  eighteen  feet. 
The  appearance  of  the  ore  improves,  the  lower  the  vein  has  been  fol- 
lowed. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  shaft,  the  Gregory  vein  widens  out  to  eight  feet, 

*  An  accident  has  since  occurred  in  this  mine  by  which  three  men  were  killed. 


116  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO. 

and  besides  the  fine  look  of  the  iron  pyrites,  native  gold  is  found,  in  very 
small  particles,  scattered  over  quite  an  extent  of  the  pay  streak. 
In  the  mill  are  fifty  eight-hundred-and-eighty -pound  stamps. 

NEVADA  CITY. 

Tlie  Prize  and  Copeland  lodes. — The  town  of  Nevada  adjoins  Central 
City  and  stretches  away  some  two  miles  up  the  gulch  in  which  it  is 
built.  The  Prize  vein  strikes  about  north  10°  west,  and  the  Copelaud 
nearly  west. 

The  two  veins  come  together  in  the  shaft  at  a  depth  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  feet  from  the  surface.  The  drift  on  the  Copeland  has  been 
run  seventy  feet  west  and  sixty-five  feet  east  from  the  shaft.  At  the 
extremity  of  the  western  outstope  the  vein  is  ten  feet  in  width,  and  the 
ore  occurs  throughout  the  whole  of  it.  The  ore  is  principally  zinc- 
blende,  and  assays  one  hundred  dollars  per  ton.  The  second-class  ore 
averages  six  ounces  per  cord.  Mine  in  excellent  condition,  and  timbers 
good.  Seventeen  men  and  two  horses  are  employed  in  and  outside  the 
mine.  Back  and  forward  stoping  are  being  carried  on  at  the  ;same  time 
from  the  extremities  of  the  drift.  At  the  bottom  of  the  shaft  the  vein 
is  six  feet  in  thickness,  and  contains  an  eighteen-inch  pay  streak  close 
to  each  wall.  The  average  yield  per  diem  is  three  cords  (about  twenty- 
one  tons.  Twenty -four  stamps  are  run  night  and  day. 

North  Star  lode. — The  ore  from  this  lode  contains  a  fahlerz  which 
will  prove  very  rich.  The  machinery  and  appointments  of  the  mine  are 
the  best  that  I  saw  around  Central  City.  The  hoisting  apparatus,  which 
is  provided  with  an  automatic  dumping  arrangement,  works  beautifully. 
Shaft  mouth,  dressing  works,  and  blacksmith  shop  are  all  under  the 
same  roof.  There  are  eight  tables  for  blanket  tailings. 

Perrin  lode. — The  shaft  house  and  mill  belonging  to  the  Perrin  Mining 
Company  had  just  been  erected  under  the  superintendence  of  Mr.  G.  A. 
Bradley,  but  had  not  been  running  long  enough  to  enable  me  to  gather 
any  reliable  statistics  as  to  the  amount  of  work  which  could  be  done 
per  diem. 

The  shaft  is  situated  in  Russell  Gulch.  The  ores  of  this  mine  com- 
prise copper  and  iron  pyrites,  copper  glance,  and  fahlerz.  The  first- 
class  ore  averages  $150  per  ton,  and  the  second-class  three  and  one-half 
ounces  per  cord.  The  shaft  is  one  hundred  and  forty  feet  deep ;  dip  of 
vein,  seventy-eight  degrees ;  strike  north  five  degrees  east  at  the  shaft 
mouth,  but  the  strike  varies  with  the  distance  from  the  shaft,  and  the 
vein  appears  to  conform  to  the  shape  of  the  hill.  Ko  good  hanging 
wall  has  yet  been  reached. 

The  mill  owned  by  this  company  is  located  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
from  the  shaft  house  in  Eussell  Gulch,  and  is  forty  feet  square. 

There  are  four  companies  running  mills  in  the  gulch  above  this  one, 
which  purchase  their  water  from  the  Consolidated  Ditch  Company.  Mr. 
Bradley,  however,  has  a  drain  to  Graham  Gulch,  two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  distant,  and  leads  the  water  which  he  obtains  from  it  to  a  tank  of 
twelve  hundred  cubic  feet  capacity.  A  large  cistern  of  five  barrels 
capacity,  attached  to  the  rafters  of  the  mill,  keeps  the  stamps  supplied 
with  water,  through  pipes  suitably  attached,  and  derives  its  supply  from 
the  large  tank  previously  mentioned. 

In  the  event  of  the  water  supply  failing,  there  is  a  second  tank,  of 
two.  hundred  and  eighty-eight  cubic  feet  capacity,  which  is  placed  at  the 
opposite  end  of  the  mill,  and  into  which  the  water  from  the  tail  sluices 
runs.  This  tank  is  divided  into  a  smaller  and  a  larger  part  by  a  parti- 


SURVEY  OF  COLORADO  AND  NEW  MEXICO.        117 

tion  not  quite  as  high  as  its  sides,  over  which  the  water  pours  from  the 
former  into  the  latter  division,  thereby  clearing  itself.  An  elevator 
conveys  it  from  here  to  the  cistern.  By  this  arrangement  the  same 
water  can  be  used  two  or  three  times. 

One  engine  of  thirty-five  horse-power  drives  two  six-stamp  and  two 
five-stamp  batteries.  The  stamps  of  the  former  weigh  six  hundred 
pounds  each,  and  those  of  the  latter  four  hundred  and  fifty  pounds 
each. 

There  is  a  separate  bin  opposite  each  battery  for  sorting  the  custom 
ores.  The  four-hundred-and-fifty-pound  stamps  are  intended  to  drop 
thirty-five,  and  the  six  hundred  pounders  twenty-five  times  per  minute. 

There  are  in  this  mill  eight  feet  of  coppers  and  four  feet  of  blankets ; 
but  besides  this  the  water  runs  over  four  and  one-half  feet  of  small 
blankets  to  the  tail- sluice.  Two  pumps  keep  the  water  constantly 
supplied  to  the  cistern.  The  blankets  are  washed,  according  to  circum- 
stances, every  fifteen  to  thirty  minutes. 

These  tailings  are  brought  into  the  Bartola  pans  and  polished  by 
arastras,  nitrate  of  mercury  and  cyanide  of  potassium  being  added  in 
small  quantities  to  assist  the  process. 

From  this  they  are  brought  to  the  dolly-tub  for  amalgamation.  These 
three  pans  save  $15  of  the  gold,  which  would  otherwise  run  out  and  be 
thrown  away,  per  day ;  and  Mr.  Bradley  hopes  to  be  able,  by  the  use  of 
three  additional  pans,  which  he  contemplates  adding,  to  pay  the  daily 
wages  of  the  whole  mill  personal. 

The  two  five-stamp  batteries  are  always  worked  together,  but  the  six- 
stamp  batteries  are  provided  with  a  clotch,  by  disconnecting  which 
fastening  they  can  be  worked  separately. 

Cleveland  mine. — Excelsior  lead. 

Trail  Creek,  a  few  miles  from  Idaho  City. — I  visited  the  mill  belonging 
to  this  company  for  the  purpose  of  witnessing  the  trial  of  a  new  two- 
stamp  steam  stamp,  the  invention  of  Mr.  Wilson,  of  Philadelphia.  Two 
steam  cylinders  are  mounted  on  heavy  framework,  the  piston-rods  pro- 
longed below  are  shod,  thus  forming  the  two  stamp-rods.  The  weight 
of  each  stamp  is  500  pounds,  the  impinging  force  of  the  steam  1,700 
pounds ;  which,  deducting  the  necessary  amount  for  friction  and  other 
losses,  leaves  an  available  blow  of  over  1,700  pounds.  These  stamps 
can  be  run  170  to  212  per  minute.  This  velocity  was  not  attained 
during  the  trial,  but  the  working  was  so  satisfactory  as  to  leave  the 
impression  on  all  who  witnessed  it  that  this  kind  of  stamp  mill,  with 
certain  modifications,  bids  fair  to  supersede  all  others.  Great  attention 
must,  of  course,  be  paid  to  the  feeding,  to  avoid  throwing  upon  the 
table  imperfectly  crushed  quartz,  because  from  twice  to  twelve  times  as 
much  ore  as  in  an  ordinary  mill  passes  in  a  given  time  under  each  one  of 
these  stamps. 

The  smelting  works  of  Professor  Hill. — These  works  are  favorably  sit- 
uated on  Clear  Creek,  half  a  mile  below  the  western  extremity  of  the 
town  of  Black  Hawk.  There  are  two  reverberatpry  furnaces,  a  set  of 
rollers  for  crushing,  and  attached  to  the  works  is  an  assay  office  for 
valuing  the  ore  bought. 

This  ore  is  of  all  kinds  and  comprises  the  richest  produced  by  the 
mines.  Seven  tons  are  matted  in  one  day,  and  this  matt  is  then  sent  by 
Professor  Hill  to  Swansea  and  sold.  The  lump  ore  is  roasted  in  heaps 
six  to  eight  weeks,  to  get  rid  of  the  greater  part  of  the  sulphur;  it  is 
then  crushed  in  the  rolling-mill  and  mixed  with  the  other  ores. 

The  tailings,  consisting  mainly  of  pyrites,  are  roasted  in  the  reverbe- 
ratory  furnaces. 


118  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND    NEW   MEXICO. 

All  the  ores  are  mixed  together  after  roasting,  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
produce  a  slag  of  the  requisite  fusibility.  The  greater  part  of  the  zinc, 
lead  and  arsenic  is  volatilized,  a  small  portion  only  uniting  with  the 
matt  and  slag.  The  matt  contains  forty  per  cent,  copper,  and  is  the 
product  obtained  by  smelting  the  roasted  ores.  How  rich  this  matt  is 
in  silver,  and  how  much  of  it  is  annually  shipped  abroad,  is  known  only 
to  Professor  Hill  and  his  assistant. 

It  is  stated  that  Professor  Hill  contemplates  erecting  additional 
works  for  the  reduction  of  this  matt  on  the  ground  where  it  is  produced, 
and  the  enterprise  is  generally  regarded  with  satisfaction  by  the  mining 
population,  among  whom  the  belief  is  common  that  the  profit  which 
Professor  Hill  can  realize  in  treating  these  ores  ought  to  be  sufficient  to 
enable  him  to  spare  himself  this  great  transportation,  and  at  the  same 
time  stop  one  of  the  many  channels  through  which  bullion  flows  out  of 
the  country. 

COLORADO  CITY,  AUGUST  9. 

About  three  miles  from  Colorado  City,  in  a  ravine  through  which 
flows  the  Fontaine-qui-bouille,  are  the  famous  soda  springs,  which 
have  been  from  time  immemorial  regarded  with  superstitious  awe  by 
the  Indians,  and  which  are  now  attracting  persons  from  all  parts  of  the 
country  by  their  beauty  and  supposed  medicinal  virtues.  Three  of 
these  springs  are  situated  on  the  right  bank  of  the  creek,  not  more  than 
fifteen  feet  from  the  edge,  and  one  of  them  (the  smallest,  and  that  giving 
the  strongest  water)  on  the  left  bank. 

The  first  of  these  which  one  meets  in  going  from  Colorado  City  bub- 
bles up  through  the  rock  into  a  large  basin  of  seven  or  eight  feet  in. 
diameter,  which  it  has  formed  partly  by  wearing  away  the  sides  which 
confine  it,  and  partly  by  continual  deposits  of  its  salts.  This  spring  is 
called  the  "  Beast  Spring,"  because  it  is  the  only  one  of  the  four  con- 
veniently accessible  to  large  quadrupeds,  which  drink  greedily  of  its 
waters. 

The  next  (and  largest)  spring  on  the  same  side  of  the  creek  is  the 
bathing  spring,  and  is  distant  from  the  other  but  a  few  rods.  A  rude 
roof  is  erected  over  the  spot  whence  it  issues  from  the  rock,  and  the 
invalids  sojourning  at  this  place  (of  whom  there  were  three  at  the  date 
of  our  visit)  bathe  in  it  night  and  morning.  The  third  spring  on  this 
side  is  the  ulron  Spring,"  and  is  situated  a  short  distance  up  the  stream 
from  the  last-mentioned,  in  a  thicket,  which  proves  from  its  little  dis- 
turbed condition  that  the  curative  powers  of  the  water  are  not  held  in 
as  high  estimation  as  are  those  of  the  other  springs. 

The  last  spring,  which  I  have  ventured  to  christen  the  "Doctor,"  from 
the  strength  of  its  water,  is  the  smallest  of  all,  and  on  the  left  bank  of 
the  Fontaine. 

A  qualitative  analysis  of  these  springs  with  the  blow-pipe  gave  the 
results  which  follow.  The  manner  of  conducting  the  analysis  was  as 
follows : 

A  large  iron  camp  kettle,  of  four  gallons  capacity,  was  filled  with  the 
water,  and  the  contents  evaporated  to  dryness.  The  salts  deposited 
were  then  collected,  and,  after  the  water  itself  was  tested  for  volatile 
substances,  analyzed. 

The  Doctor. — Four  gallons  of  the  water  of  this  spring  were  evaporated 
to  dryness.  The  salts  of  the  residue  would  weigh  perhaps  an  ounce. 
The  mouth  of  this  spring  is  about  one  foot  in  length  and  eight  inches  in 
width.  The  water  contains  much  carbonic  acid  in  solution.  It  emerges 


SURVEY    OF   COLORADO    AND   NEW    MEXICO.  119 

quietly  from  a  syenite  on  the  left  bank,  and  flows  in  a  slender  stream 
into  the  Fontaine.  A  few  bubbles  of  gas  are  rising  continually  to  the 
surface,  but  the  excess  of  carbonic  acid  is  not  proportionately  so  great 
as  in  the  other  springs.  There  is  a  comparatively  small  deposit  of  car- 
bonate of  lime  in  the  bed  of  the  little  canal  which  the  water  has  worn 
away  through  the  rock,  and  none  in  the  vicinity  which  could  be  traced 
to  the  overflow  of  the  spring.  The  water  shows  no  trace  of  volatile 
substances  which  would  escape  during  the  evaporation,  except  carbonic 
acid.  Its  reaction  is  feebly  alkaline. 
The  salts  held  in  solution  are  as  follows: 


Much—  ^"aO  .  CO2 

KO.CO2 

CaO  .  CO2 

NaCl 

A1203 
Trace—  Fe. 

The  Iron  Spring.  —  This  showed  the  presence  of  that  metal  from  which 
it  is  named  by  a  very  insignificant  deposit  of  the  familiar  brown  oxide 
in  its  vicinity.    No  volatile  substances  in  the  water.    Reaction  alkaline. 
The  salts  in  solution  were  : 

*KO.C02 
NaO  .  CO2 
*Li0.2C02 

(Probably  as  carbonate)  —  FeO  .  OO2  ;i  . 

NaCl 
A1203 

The  amount  of  iron  in  solution  in  the  Iron  Spring  was  unusually 
small  ;  the  amount  of  alumina  being  greater  and  that  of  lime  less  than 
in  "The  Doctor." 

The  Beast  Spring.  —  This  is  next  to  the  largest.    A  continuous  line  of 
bubbles  of  carbonic  acid  is  perpetually  ascending  from  the  bottom.    The 
taste  of  the  water  is  not  so  pleasant  nor  pungent  as  that  of  the  other 
springs. 
The  analysis  showed  — 

ISTaO  .  CO3 

KO.C02 

Na.Cl 

S 

A12O3 

The  Bathing  Spring  was  not  analyzed,  but  its  salts  cannot  be  very  dif- 
ferent from  those  of  the  "Beast."  A  noticeable  feature  of  this  latter  is 
the  small  per  cent,  of  sulphur  which  probably  is  present  in  soda  or 
potash  alum.  The  ebullition  of  gas  in  the  "Bathing  Spring'7  is  enor- 
mous and  keeps  the  water  in  a  constant  state  of  agitation. 

This  spring  bursts  out  from  a  syenitic  rock,  but  by  the  overflow  of  its 
waters  it  has  covered  the  latter  with  a  crust  of  carbonate  of  lime  seV- 
eral  feet  in  thickness  and  much  broader  than  is  the  case  at  the  celebrated 
High  Eock  Spring  of  Saratoga.  It  is  as  if  a  white  tablecloth  were  laid 
over  the  rock.  I  have  never  seen  so  violent  an  escape  of  gas  except 
from  the  Salina  near  Kissingen,  in  Bavaria. 

*  The  potash  and  lithia  reactions  with  the  blowpipe  are  sufficiently  distinguishable 
to  enable  one  possessing  the  requisite  experience  to  recognize  them  with  a  little  trouble  ; 
but  in  the  field,  where  time  is  short  and  opportunities  meager,  it  is  not  always  easy  to 
do  this.  I  venture  to  give  them  both  without  stating  which  predominates,  reserving 
the  solution  of  this  question  for  the  first  opportunity  which  offers  iu  the  future. 


120  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND    NEW   MEXICO. 

The  Indians  (both  those  of  the  mountains  and  those  of  the  plains) 
frequently  visit  these  springs,  and,  riding  around  them  upon  their  horses, 
do  homage  to  the  Great  Spirit  which  caused  them  to  boil  forth  at  this 
place,  by  throwing  in  offerings  of  ear-rings,  bracelets,  beads,  and  other 
objects  of  value.  A  gentleman,  residing  here  temporarily  for  his  health, 
was  upon  one  occasion  alarmed  at  the  approach  of  a  large  band  of  Sioux, 
who,  he  saw,  were  in  their  war-paint  and  on  an  expedition  against  the 
Utes  in  South  Park.  He  secreted  himself  and  watched  them.  They 
rode  around  the  "Beast  Spring,'7  chanting  some  solemn  invocation,  and 
from  time  to  time  divesting  theinselves  of  some  trinket  and  casting  it 
into  the  bubbling  water.  When  this  was  concluded  they  all  drank  of 
the  spring,  and  then  pursued  their  jonrney.  It  may  be  interesting  to 
the  believers  in  the  virtues  of  the  water  to  know  that  this  same  band  was 
badly  whipped  by  the  Cites,  and  on  its  return  was  in  too  great  a  hurry 
to  repeat  the  incantation  scene.  My  informant  took  over  a  bushel  of 
rings  and  trinkets  out  of  the  spring. 

CAHON  CITY. 

Seven  miles  up  the  canon,  through  which  runs  Four-mile  Creek,  are 
four  oil  wells,  which  have  been  sunk  by  a  Denver  company,  under  the 
direction  of  Mr.  James  Murphy,  who  resides  by  and  takes  care  of  them. 

The  canon  runs  through  cretaceous  sandstones  and  shales.  The  works 
are  very  primitive  as  yet.  Scaffoldings  surmount  the  mouths  of  two  of 
the  wells,  and  the  oil  is  got  out  by  pumping. 

One  of  these  wells  is  three  hundred  feet  deep,  but  the  oil  is  called  by 
the  superintendent  surface  oil,  and  he  expresses  confidence  in  reaching 
a  much  larger  supply  by  piercing  some  distance  down.  At  present  he 
can  only  extract  a  few  gallons  a  day.  Some  of  the  oil  is  stored  in  bar- 
rels about  the  premises. 

An  analysis  made  of  the  oil  by  Mr.  Murphy  gives — 

Per  cent. 

Beazine 12 

Good  clear  burning  oil 50 

Nitrogenous  mass,  containing  much  paraffine  and  paraffine  oil 25 

Coke  and  refuse 13 

Total 100 

Mr.  Murphy  states  that  these  oil  wells  have  been  opened  six  years, 
the  half  of -which  time  he  has  resided  on  the  ground,  and  estimates  the 
annual  production  of  oil  at  about  four  thousand  gallons. 

A  quarter  of  a  mile  west  of  Caiion  City  is  a  soda  spring  of  delicious 
water  which  bursts  out  from  between  No.  1  and  2  of  the  cretaceous.  The 
spring  is  small  and  its  strength  diminished  by  a  large  acequia,  the  water 
of  which  leaks  through  an  aqueduct,  built  to  carry  it  around  a  jutting 
point  of  rock,  and  trickles  into  the  spring. 

The  taste  of  the  water  is  very  agreeable,  and  stronger  than  that  of 
any  similar  spring  I  have  ever  seen. 

A  trace  of  iodine  was  discovered  in  the  water  of  this  spring.  The( 
salts  were — 

NaO .  CO2 

U  MgO.C02 

CaO .  CO2 
Trace— Fe 

A12O3 
Trace— I 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO.  121 

A  crust  of  carbonate  of  lime  is  observable  everywhere  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  spring  as  a  porous  tufa-like  mass. 

NEW  MEXICO.— LAS  VEGAS,  SEPTEMBER  5. 

Visited  the  celebrated  hot  springs,  or  "Ojos  callientes."  These  springs 
make  their  way  through  metamorphic  rocks  on  both  sides  of  the  creek, 
and  the  women  of  the  country  come  to  wash  their  clothes  in  them,  for 
miles  around.  The  temperature  of  the  water  is  very  high,  but  not  being 
able  to  procure  a  thermometer  in  Las  Vegas,  I  cannot  state  it  with  any 
pretense  to  precision.  I  estimate  it  at  over  150°  Fahrenheit.  A  five- 
gallon  kettle  of  water,  when  evaporated,  left  a  very  slight  sediment  at 
the  bottom— not  a  quarter  of  an  ounce. 
In  solution  were : 

KO.CO2 
NaO  .  CO2 
Na.Cl 

Trace Fe 

Trace S 

Trace Li  O 

SANTA  FE,  SEPTEMBER  9. 

Visited  the  old  placer  mines,  which  are  situated  in  a  short  chain  of 
mountains  lying  thirty  miles  or  so  west  from  Santa  Fe,  and  on  a  large 
grant  belonging  to  the  New  Mexico  Mining  Company,  and  under  the 
direction  of  Colonel  Anderson,  formerly  of  the  engineer  corps,  United 
States  Army. 

The  land  owned  by  the  New  Mexico  Mining  Company  in  the  San  Lazaro 
mountains  is  ten  miles  and  sixty  chains  square.  The  whole  surrounding 
country  is  impregnated  with  gold  from  the  mountain  lodes,  and  gulch 
mining  there  would  pay  richly,  were  it  not  for  the  deficiency  in  the  sup- 
ply of  water.  The  company  has  heretofore  freely  permitted  the  inhab- 
itants in  the  grant  to  pan  out  gold  for  themselves,  and  they  frequently 
obtain  in  this  way  six  dollars  per  hand  in  one  day. 

The  old  mill  which  was  formerly  here  has  been  replaced  by  a  new 
one,  now  nearly  completed,  which  is  situated  on  the  side  of  a  hill,  and 
by  a  little  brook  which  supplies  water  to  the  boiler  of  the  steam  engine. 
The  great  difficulty  which  lies  in  the  way  of  the  successful  working  of 
these  mines — a  deficiency  of  water — Colonel  Anderson  hopes  to  be  able 
to  surmount,  either  by  means  of  a  ditch  bringing  water  from  the  Pecus, 
or  by  sinking  an  artesian  well.  The  mill  contains  forty  G50-pound 
stamps,  intended  to  drop  eight  inches  seventy-five  times  per  minute. 

The  principal  mines  yet  opened  on  the  property  are,  in  the  order  of 
their  importance  and  date,  the  Ortiz  and  Brahm. 

It  is  highly  probable  that  there  are  other  veins  of  auriferous  and 
argentiferous  quartz  on  the  grant,  but  these  two  being  the  only  mines 
as  yet  opened  and  worked,  a  glance  at  them  must  suffice. 

The  Ortiz  mine  was  discovered  and  opened  by  a  Mexican,  whose 
name  it  bears,  nigh  seventy  years  ago ;  but  the  work  having  been  con- 
ducted in  the  shiftless,  slovenly  manner  characteristic  of  the  Mexicans, 
it  was  thought  advisable  by  Dr.  Steck,  Colonel  Anderson's  predecessor, 
to  sink  another  shaft  some  distance  from  the  discovery  shaft  (which 
marks  the  center  of  the  gTant.)  This  new  shaft  is  now  two  hundred 
feet  deep,  well  cribbed  and  timbered,  and  supplied  with  the  best  of  lad- 
ders. The  country  rock  is  a  granite,  and  the  crevice  is  perhaps  four 


122  SUEVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

feet  in  average.  An  incline  was  begun  by  Dr.  Steck,  connecting  the 
two  shafts,  and  was  broken  through  recently  under  direction  of  the 
captain  miner,  Mr.  McVhee,  after  whom  the  new  shaft  is  named. 

The  ore  is  composed  of  iron,  copper  and  arsenical  pyrites,  galena  and 
malachite.  The  pay  streak  is  of  good  size,  and  the  vein  is  what  is  called 
a  chimney  vein, — that  is  to  say,  it  widens  out  every  twenty  feet  or  so 
into  a  chimney,  which  "  pinches  up  "  again  a  little  further  on. 

There  are  quite  a  number  of  these  chimneys  connected  together  by 
narrow  veins.  This  is  a  characteristic  feature  of  this  mine,  and  is  con- 
sidered a  very  favorable  sign.  I  would  especially  notice  here  the  ad- 
mirable condition  in  which  everything  about  the  mine  is  kept.  Though 
not  yet  extensive,  the  work  which  has  been  done  reflects  the  greatest 
credit  on  the  superintendent  and  the  captain  of  the  mine. 

Altogether,  about  four  thousand  tons  of  ore  have  been  taken  out  and 
piled  near  the  mouth  of  the  shaft,  against  the  time  when  the  mill 
shall  be  completed,  and  it  can  be  transported  thither  for  reduction.  Its 
average  assay  value  has  been  $26  per  ton,  while  an  ounce  of  gold 
obtained  by  panning  has  often  reached  $19  50. 

Since  Colonel  Anderson's  administration,  $35, 000  have  been  expended 
on  the  mines  and  mill. 

The  transportation  from  the  mines  to  the  mill  will  cost  seventeen  cents 
per  ton. 

The  Bralim  lode. — This  was  discovered  last  April  by  a  professional 
prospector  of  Sante  Fe,  employed  by  the  company,  after  whom  it  is 
named.  The  strike  of  the  vein  is  northeast,  and  at  the  surface  the  dip 
is  75°,  but  at  a  depth  of  thirty-eight  feet  it  dips  but  45°  southeast. 
There  are  three  shafts  upon  it,  the  discovery  shaft  being  now  forty  feet 
deep. 

Some  fine  specimens  of  ore  carrying  native  gold  were  obtained  from 
the  extension  shaft.  Between  the  discovery  and  extension  shafts  is  the 
air  shaft,  from  which  the  richest  quartz  has  been  obtained. 

Levels  are  being  driven  both  ways,  outwards  from  all  these  shafts. 

The  following  may  be  interesting,  as  giving  an  idea  of  the  expense  of 
working  mines  on  this  scale  in  this  country :  Two  engineers,  at  $90  per 
month ;  four  feeders,  at  $3  50  per  day;  two  amalgamators,  at $5  per  day; 
forty  miners,  at  $2  25  per  day,  (Mexicans;)  common  laborers,  at  $45  per 
month;  chief  mechanic  and  foreman  of  mill,  at  $205  per  month;  one  car- 
penter, at  $5  per  day ;  three  carpenters,  at  $90  per  month ;  two  black- 
smiths, at  $110  per  month ;  captain  miner.  $180  per  month. 

The  true  name  of  the  old  placer  mining  district  is  the  Eeal  Dolores. 
The  new  placer  mines  are  situated  on  the  north  face  of  the  Tuorto 
Mountains  and  should  properly  be  called  the  Eeal  de  San  Francisco. 
Some  litigation  has  arisen  between  this  company  and  the  New  Mexico 
Mining  Company,  on  account  of  a  dispute  as  to  the  boundary  of  the  lat- 
ter's  part. 

The  nucleus  of  the  San  Lazaro  Mountains  is  a  granite,  which  exhibits 
itself  in  the  mountain,  to  the  north  of  the  settlement,  in  high  conical 
peaks.  To  the  south  of  the  settlement  is  a  mountain  composed  princi- 
pally of  metamorphosed  sandstone,  which  is  everywhere  intersected  by 
trap  dikes. 

Near  the  mill  is  an  igneous  conglomerate.  This  rock  consists  of  a 
matrix  of  calcareous  matter,  in  which  are  breccia  of  various  rocks  and 
large  rounded  masses  of  syenite.  The  boulders  of  syenite  appear  to  be 
of  singularly  uniform  size  and  are  strewed  over  the  rock  with  remarka- 
ble symmetry  and  regularity. 

About  three  miles  north  of  this  settlement  is  a  high  hill  at  the  north- 


SURVEY    OF   COLORADO    AND   NEW   MEXICO.  123 

era  base  of  which  occur  several  coal  seams.  The  nearest  and  most 
recently  opened  is  a  coal  of  fine  quality,  and,  like  all  the  coal  observed 
along  the  flanks  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  breaks  up  into  small  paraUelo- 
pipeda  or  rectangular  prisms. 

Near  the  entrance  to  the  southwest  opening  of  this  coal  bed  are  two 
irregularly-shaped  masses  of  carbonaceous  clay  and  gypsum,  which  re- 
semble, at  a  superficial  glance,  small  dikes.  Neither  of  these  appear  to 
be  continued  above  the  roof  or  beneath  the  sole  of  the  mine,  though 
they  appear  on  both  sides. 

Another  bed  of  coal  was  visited,  near  which  was  a  large  basaltic  dike, 
the  heat  from  which  appears  to  have  altered  the  former  to  a  modern 
anthracite.  This  coal  is  harder,  blacker,  and  more  lustrous  than  that  of 
other  veins  I  have  seen  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Rocky  Mountains;  nor  does 
it  exhibit  that  singular  cleavage  which  characterizes  these  beds. 

Ores  were  given  me  from  the  San  Dia  Mountains  and  mines  which 
looked  well,  but  proved  by  a  quantitative  analysis  to  contain  very  little 
silver.  The  ore  was  a  quartz  containing  lumps  and  flakes  of  galena. 

Colonel  Anderson  gave  me  also  a  fine  specimen  of  native  copper, 
found  in  the  bed  of  the  creek,  at  a  short  distance  above  the  Real  Do- 
lores. 

Quite  fine-looking  specular  iron,  hematite,  and  some  small  crystals  of 
spathic  iron  ore, were  seen  on  the  North  Mountain,  half  a  mile  or  so  from 
the  Ortiz.mine.  Specimens  of  the  former  were  obtained. 

TAOS,  SEPTEMBER  19. 

Twelve  miles  north  from  Taos,  in  the  Arroyo  Hondo,  is  a  mill  erected 
quite  recently  by  the  "  Arroyo  Hondo  Mining  and  Ditch  Company,77 
under  the  superintendence  of  Mr.  Stuart,  of  Taos,  but  not  yet  roofed 
over,  nor  in  complete  running  order.  There  are  twenty  430-pound  stamps 
constructed  to  drop  thirty -five  times  per  minute. 

The  quartz  of  the  ore  is  partly  a  ferruginous  and  reddish,  partly  a 
white  mixture  of  quartz  and  mica.  The  red  variety  prospects  the  best, 
("shows  the  best  color.'7)  On  the  road  from  the  mill  to  the  sluift  from 
which  the  company  expects  to  derive  most  of  its  ore,  is  a  lode  which 
occurs  in  the  granite  and  bears  iron  pyrites,  green,  and  a  little  blue  vitriol. 
A  second  opening  has  been  made  higher  up  the  mountain  into  a  deposit 
of  reddish  and  whitish  clay,  which  shows  good  color  in  the  pan,  but  is  too 
sticky  to  wash  well  in  large  quantities.  The  company  is  at  present  ex- 
ceedingly puzzled  to  know  how  to  treat  this  material,  and  is  considering 
the  feasibility  of  baking  it  into  bricks  and  then  running  it  under  the 
stamps,  which  in  its  present  condition  it  would  only  clog.  In  any  case 
these  gentlemen  hope  that  by  sinking  deeper  they  will  strike  a  true 
crevice  and  good  wall -rock.  "  Quien  sabe! " 

A  mile  or  two  around  the  edge  of  the  mountain  is  situated  the  princi- 
pal mine  of  the  company,  which  is  being  opened  by  a  shaft  and  tunnel, 
the  former  about  twenty-five  feet  in  depth,  and  opening  some  two  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  tunnel,  which  latter  has  been  driven  already  180  feet 
and  will  eventually  intersect  it. 

The  dip  at  surface  is  35°,  more  or  less,  strike  about  east  and  west. 
A  level  has  been  run  in  at  the  shaft  mouth  65  feet,  and  drilling  pros- 
pects well  all  the  way  in.  The  ore  is  the  same  as  that  mentioned  ia 
connection  with  the  mill. 

SAN  LUIS  PARK,  OCTOBER  1. 

In  the  course  of  a  long  day's  march  from  the  Sawatch  to  Homan7s 
Creek,  in  Hoinan7s  Park,  or  the  Rincon,  we  passed  a  region  where  a 
great  number  of  hot  springs  boiled  up.  The  first  of  these  (and  the  larg- 


124  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

est)  covered  a  space  of  perhaps  600  square  feet,  and  emitted  a  vapor 
which  could  be  seen  for  a  long  distance. 

Surrounding  it  was  a  marsh  or  swamp  in  which  salts  from  the  evap- 
oration were  deposited.  The  temperature  at  the  edges  was  perhaps 
110°  to  120°  Fahrenheit,  and  bubbles  of  gas  rise  in  many  places  to  the 
surface,  and  are  caused  by  the  weight  of  a  person  walking  around  the 
edges  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  soggy  soil.  Specimens  of  the 
salts,  as  they  lie  loosely  like  an  efflorescence,  and  also  of  the  same  ma- 
terial in  a  harder  form  like  California  marble,  (only  not  so  variegated  in 
color,)  were  collected,  but  no  opportunity  offered  to  examine  them. 

The  surrounding  country,  and  our  road  towards  Homan's  Creek,  is  for 
miles  covered  with  a  white  deposit  called  by  the  natives  "alkali,"  sim- 
ply. It  gives  the  landscape  the  appearance  of  being  covered  with  snow. 
This  "alkali"  is  probably  composed  of  nitrate  of  potash,  sulphate  of 
lime,  and  perhaps  other  salts  in  smaller  quantities,  but  has  not  been  yet 
analyzed.  The  same  deposit  has  been  observed  in  the  neighborhood 
of  St.  Train's  Creek,  and  in  the  basaltic  region  below  Trinidad  on  our 
route  down  to  Santa  Fe. 

Minerals  observed  in  New  Mexico. 

MINERALS  OF   COMMERCIAL  VALUE. 

Iron  pyrites,  copper  pyrites. — Mostly  auriferous.  Widely  distributed  in  veins  over  the 
flanks  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  in  New  Mexico,  and  in  numerous  lesser  chains  of 
granitic  and  metamorphic  rocks. 

Malachite,  green  vitriol,  blue  vitriol. — Principally  from  decomposition  of  the  above, 
wherever  the  ores  have  been  exposed  to  weathering.  Widely  distributed  in  veins 
over  the  flanks  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  in  New  Mexico,  and  in  numerous  lesser 
chains  of  granitic  and  metamorphic  rocks. 

Zincblende. — Often  argentiferous.    San  Dia,  &c. 

Galena.— Often  argentiferous.    Maxwell's,  near  Moro. 

Brittle  silver. — Maxwell's,  near  Moro. 

Fahlerz. — Maxwell's,  near  Moro. 

Specular  iron  ore. — Real  Dolores,  near  Ortiz  mine. 

Red  and  brown  hematite. — Widely  distributed.    Old  Placer,  &c. 

Magnetic  pyrites. — New  Placer. 

Coal.— Raton  Mountains,  Maxwell's,  Real  Dolores,  &e. 

Cerussite. — Maxwell's. 

Anglesite. — Maxwell's. 

Native  gold. — Arroyo  Hondo,  Morena,  Brahm  Lode,  New  Placer,  &o. 

Native  silver. — Maxwell's. 

Horn  silver. — Maxwell's. 

Titanic  iron  ore.— Real  Dolores. 

Smithsonite. — San  Dia. 

Silver  glance. — Morena,  New  and  Old  Placers. 

Light  and  dark  ruby  silver. — Maxwell's. 

Spathic  and  micaceous  iron  ores. — Real  Dolores. 

Turquoise,  (2A12O3 .  P05-f5HO.)— Cerillos,  between  Santa  Fe"  and  the  San  Lazaro 
Mountains. 

CHARACTERISTIC  MINERALS. 

Quartz. — Forms  gangue  rock  of  most  of  the  veins ;  common.    Agate,  chalcedony,  and 

silicified  wood  in  the  bed  of  the  Galisteo.    In  the  granites,  gneisses,  &c. 
Hydrated  oxide  of  iron. — Occurs  with  the  coal  beds,  and  colors  the  rocks  near  exposed 

veins,  &c. 

Opal. — Galisteo  beds. 
Feldspar. — Everywhere  among  the  granitic  rocks.    Orthoclases  predominant.    Oligo- 

clases  also  abundant.    Albite  is  found  near  Moro. 
Labrador. — Basalt  dikes,  &c. 
Hornblende. — Syenites,  some  basalts. 
Potash  and  magnesian  mica. — Gneisses  and  granites,  and  "in  the  greissen  found  near 

Moro. 
Leucite. — Trachytic  lavas  near  Fort  Union. 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO.  125 

Chlorite. — Diabase,  Real  Dolores,  San  Luis. 

Augite. — In  the  basalts  and  chlorites. 

Calc-spar. — Very  common ;  finely  crystallized  in  Real  Dolores. 

Gypsum. — Beds  near  S  \reetwater ;  also  occurs  with  coal. 

Anhydrite. 

Salt.— lu  springs  at  Las  Vegas  and  elsewhere. 

Heavy  spar. — As  gangue  rock  in  many  veins. 

Pyrope. — Fort  Craig. 

Chrysolite. — Fort  Craig. 

Obsidian. — Found  near  old  Pecos  church.    Fashioned  into  tools,  as  is  also  chalcedony. 

A  fine  pseudomorph  of  magnetic  iron  ore,  after  the  cubes  of  iron 
pyrites,  was  picked  up  near  Santa  Fe\ 

The  fact  that  I  could  not  visit  the  Morena  mines,  which  are  the  most 
important  in  New  Mexico,  and  the  short  time  given  for  the  preparation 
of  this  report,  will,  I  hope,  excuse  its  incompleteness,  which  a  more 
careful  study  of  the  specimens  I  have  collected  will  in  some  measure 
remedy. 

COLORADO  TERRITORY,  SOUTH  PARK,  OCTOBER  4. 

Visited  the  salt  springs  in  this  park.  Jhe  whole  country  from  the 
hither  side  of  the  Trout  Creek  Pass  to  some  distance  beyond  the  salt 
works  is  covered  with  the  alkali  before  spoken  of.  A  small  creek 
flows  northward,  and  in  this  creek  the  spring  from  which  the  salt  is  ob- 
tained discharges  its  water.  It  is  collected  in  a  box  and  conducted 
through  a  small  channel  to  the  buildings.  These  are  two  in  number, 
the  one  in  which  the  kettles  are  placed  forming  a  long  wing  at  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  other.  The  works  belong  to  Eawlins  &  Hall,  and  the 
business  of  salt  boiling  was  begun  by  Mr.  Eawlins  in  a  small  outbuild- 
ing, yet  standing,  in  1861. 

In  the  long  wing  are  one  hundred  and  sixteen  large  boiling  kettles, 
and  eight  iron  evaporating  pans. 

The  spring  water  is  first  run  into  the  kettles  and  heated.  When  the 
water  has  acquired  a  high  temperature,  it  is  drawn  off  into  the  first  of 
two  large  evaporating  pans,  (eleven  by  twenty-eight  feet,)  and  allowed 
to  evaporate.  The  sulphate  of  lime  and  other  impurities  are  here  sepa- 
rated from  the  brine,  which  is  again  drawn  off  into  the  remaining  tanks. 
The  finest  grained  salt  is  obtained  from  the  second  evaporating  pan, 
which  is  eleven  by  nineteen  feet.  The  six  remaining  pans  are  each  five 
by  nine  feet.  An  analysis  of  the  salt  produced  was  made  by  A.  Fennell, 
of  Cincinnati,  with  this  result: 

Per  cent. 

Sa.Cl 99 

CaO .  SO3  and  other  impurities 1 

Total 100 

The  strength  of  the  water  is  about  one  part  by  bulk  of  matter  in  solu- 
tion in  nine  parts  of  water.  (I  have  this  on  the  authority  of  Mr.  Eawlins.) 
The  company  has  expended  over  $50,000  on  the  works,  and  expects  to 
commence  permanent  running  immediately.  When  in  full  operation 
two  tons  of  salt  can  be  produced  daily. 

Messrs.  Eawlins  &  Hall  are  sinking  an  artesian  well  alongside  of 
the  long  wing  above  referred  to,  by  means  of  which  they  hope  get  a 
stronger  brine,  and  also  to  save  the  expense  of  pumping  into  the  kettles. 

Solar  evaporating  vats,  similar  to  those  in  use  at  Salina,near  Syracuse, 
New  York,  are  also  to  be  constructed  shortly. 


126  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

The  company  employs  from  six  to  fourteen  men.  The  production  of  a 
ton  of  salt  costs  the  company  from  $15  to  $20,  and  they  sell  it  for  from 
$60  to  $100;  the  miners  and  smelters  getting  it  at  the  former  price,  both 
because  they  do  not  require  it  as  pure  as  do  the  ranchmen,  and  also 
because  their  orders  are  invariably  larger. 

REMARKS.— COLORADO. 

That  which  has  given  Colorado  such  an  unprecedented  forward 
impetus  in  her  internal  development  and  growth,  has  undoubtedly  been 
the  discovery  of  gold  and  silver  in  the  beds  of  her  streams  and  in  the 
recesses  of  her  mountains.  A  detailed  history  of  these  discoveries  would 
be  hardly  in  place  here,  especially  as  this  has  been  pleasantly  outlined 
by  Mr.  Hollister  in  "  The  Mines  of  Colorado,"  but  it  is  interesting  to 
know  that  the  steps  toward  the  establishment  of  mills,  shafts,  and 
furnaces  in  the  center  of  a  but  lately  uncivilized  country,  have  been  the 
same  as  in  California  and  elsewhere. 

The  existence  of  the  precious  metals  in  the  mountains  was  not  arrived 
at  by  reasoning  on  the  similarity  of  the  Boeky  Mountains  to  other  ore- 
bearing  chains,  nor  even  by  concluding  that  if  gold  and  silver  were 
found  in  one  part  of  their  extent,  they  would  be  probably  also  in 
other  parts;  but  the  rude  hunter  or  ruder  savage  chanced  upon  a  few 
shining  grains,  which  excited  the  curiosity  and  cupidity  of  the  dwellers 
in  the  States,  and  first  one,  and  then  two,  and  then  more,  girded  up  their 
loins  for  a  journey  to  the  tempting  wilderness,  until  the  spark  burst  into 
a  blaze,  and  hundreds  of  men  from  all  classes  of  life  were  drawn  together 
by  the  hope  of  enriching  themselves  with  bags  of  gold.  Many  of  these 
early  gold-seekers  fondly  imagined  that  they  had  only  to  pick  the  gold 
up  in  the  region  within  the  shadow  of  the  great  Pike's  Peak,  and  find- 
ing that,  on  the  contrary,  their  employment  was  one  inseparably  connected 
with  vicissitudes  and  uncertainties,  they  were  discouraged  and  went 
back. 

Gulch  or  placer  mining  in  gold  countries  precedes  the  more  regular 
and  legitimate  operations  as  naturally  as  all  crude  undertakings  precede 
the  improvements  they  suggest.  The  first  placer  mining  which  promised 
to  reward  the  undertakers  or  prospectors  in  Colorado  Territory  had  its 
origin  in  Cherry  Creek,  in  a  mining  settlement  designated  Auraria,  and 
just  opposite  the  present  city  of  Denver.  This  was  in  1858. 

By  the  laws  which  govern  the  distribution  of  eroded  materials  by  the 
agency  of  water,  the  larger,  coarser,  and  heavier  particles  are  invariably 
found  deposited  nearer  to,  and  the  finer,  lighter,  and  more  impalpable 
wash  farther  from,  the  origin  of  the  eroding  force.  Thus  the  drying 
power  and  heat  of  the  sun,  the  oxidation  of  the  atmosphere,  and  the 
eroding  force  of  wind  and  water,  tear  off  large  and  small  masses  of  the 
mineral  veins;  gravity  precipitates  them,  along  with  boulders  of  the 
country  rock,  into  the  creek  and  rivulet  beds,  and  the  water  of  these 
streams  grinds  them  up  as  in  a  mortar,  and  finally  spreads  them  out  in 
beds  whose  distance  from  the  point  of  abrasion  is  inversely  proportional 
to  the  weight  of  the  individual  particles.  In  this  manner  fine  gold  may 
be  carried  to  an  enormous  distance  from  its  parent  vein,  but  the  farther 
we  recede  from  it  the  finer  becomes  the  gold  and  the  more  diffused 
through  the  silicious  mass,  so  that  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  it  is  in- 
creased in  two  ways :  first,  there  is  much  less  gold,  and  second ;  what  there 
is  is  present  in  a  much  more  finely  divided  state.  To  one  unacquainted 
with  the  facts,  this  second  difficulty  may  appear  not  a  real  one ;  the  spe- 
cific gravity  or  gold  being  the  same  whether  the  metal  exists  in  large  or 


SURVEY  OP  COLORADO  AND  NEW  MEXICO.        127 

small  -particles,  must  render  the  separation  of  the  dust  from  the  com- 
panion rock  as  easy  as  that  of  the  nuggets.  But  experience  shows  that, 
regulate  the  supply  of  water  as  nicely  as  he  may,  the  miner  always 
loses  a  comparatively  large  percentage  of  this  finely  divided  gold  by  its 
floating  off  on  the  surface.  This  will  be  referred  to  again  -when"  the 
effect  of  the  supply  of  water  on  the  loss  of  gold  from  the  tailings  is 
spoken  of. 

Where  the  topography  of  the  country  has  been  such  as  to  cause  an 
elbow  in  the  stream  carrying  the  debris,  or  where,  from  any  cause,  an 
eddy  has  been  formed,  and  the  diminished  velocity  of  the  water  being 
insufficient  to  keep  the  larger  rocks  in  motion  and  the  coarser  particles 
in  suspension,  there  have  been  deposited  at  certain  points  little 
islands,  as  it  were,  of  irregular  but  generally  more  or  less  oval  shape, 
the  gulch  miner  finds  his  richest  harvest.  Tlie  discovery  of  such  depos- 
its has  often  led  to  the  erroneous  belief  that  any  part  of  the  bed  of  the 
creek  will  produce  equal  treasure  if  the  water  be  but  diverted  from  its 
channel,  and  the  construction  of  flumes  or  artificial  channels  in  places 
where  circumstances  were  not  favorable  to  a  deposition  of  the  precious 
metals  has,  in  several  instances,  involved  the  misguided  projectors  in 
useless  expenditure  and  great  waste  of  time  and  labor. 

The  creeks  springing  from  that  part  of  the  range  opposite  .and  nearest 
to  this  first  settlement  were  the  first  to  be  prospected,  and,  in  the  main, 
more  than  fulfilled  the  expectations  which  had  been  formed  of  them. 
The  statistics  in  regard  to  gulch  mining  are  necessarily  harder  to  obtain 
than  those  of  lode  mining,  for  in  the  first  place  the  operations  are  con- 
ducted by  one  or  two  men  at  innumerable  points  in  various  creeks 
and  streams  remote  from  the  miners'  settlements,  and  secondly  the 
independent  conductors  of  this  system  of  mining  have  a  natural  reluc- 
tance to  stating  the  true  amount  of  their  earnings,  from  the  fear  that 
other  parties  may  be  led  to  their  vicinity  and  thus  reduce  their  gains. 

Statistics  of  that  kind  of  placer  mining  which  is  carried  on  away  from 
the  beds  of  the  streams  and  upon  the  more  or  less  decomposed  outcrop 
of  a  lode,  by  means  of  water  flumed  from  some  higher  level  of  the  creek, 
are  easier  to  get  at  and  appear  to  be  better  known.  I  append  a  few  facts 
drawn  from  Mr.  Hollister's  book,  page  66. 

Zeigler,  Spain  &  Co.  ran  a  sluice  three  weeks  on  the  Gregory,  and  cleaned  up  three 
thousand  pennyweights,  their  highest  day's  work  being  $495,  and  their  lowest  $21. 
Sopris,  Henderson  &  Co.  took  out  $607  in  four  days.  Spears  &  Co.,  two  days,  $853,  all 
taken  from  within  three  feet  of  the  surface.  John  H.  Gregory,  five  days,  $942 ;  Casto, 
Kendall  &  Co.,  one  day,  $225 ;  Defrees  &  Co.,  twelve  days,  one  sluice,  $2,080 ;  Leper, 
Gridley  &  Co.,  one  day,  three  sluices,  $1,009. 

At  the  present  time  there  are  perhaps  twenty  points  on  Clear  Creek, 
between  Idaho  and  Golden  City,  where  the  wheels  and  sluices  of  the 
gulch  miners  are  standing,  but  scarcely  more  than  one-half  of  them  are 
really  in  operation.  A  few  such  works  are  to  be  found  in  all  the  creeks 
issuing  from  the  range,  but  their  share  in  the  annual  production  of  gold 
in  the  Territory  is  but  insignificant,  and  their  value  has  diminished,  as 
is  always  the  case  with  this  kind  of  mining.  "While  "no  one  has  ever 
yet  seen  the  lower  edge  of  a  vein,77  a  little  labor  will  bring  one  to  the  bot- 
tom of  a  placer  mine,  which  is  formed  by  the  wash  of  a  few  fragments 
carried  from  the  out-crops  of  the  veins  by  the  rains. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  the  valuable  ores  are  found  in  a  broad 
belt  running  along  the  range  north  and  south.  Gold,  silver,  copper, 
lead,  and  zinc  are  found  abundantly  in  the  granitic  and  metamorphic 
rocks,  which  form  the  true  back-bone  of  the  Cordilleras,  and  coal  in  the 
outlying  and  more  recent  foot-hills. 


128  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO. 

There  appear  to  be  two  series  of  veins  in  this  great  mineral  belt3  oc- 
curring at  least  along  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Kocky  Mountains ;  the 
larger,  and  apparently  elder,  having  a  general  north  and  south  strike, 
and  proving  in  most  cases  barren,*  and  the  smaller  and  more  recent, 
comprising  by  far  the  greater  number  of  the  gold  and  silver  leads,  and 
extending  down  the  range  as  far  as  I  had  an  opportunity  of  observing 
it,  in  New  Mexico,  striking  generally  about  northeast  and  southwest. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  define  sharply  the  direction  or  extent  of  this 
great  mineral  belt,  though  various  writers  on  Colorado  have  indulged  in 
fine  generalizations  on  the  subject.  The  fact  appears  to  be  that  circum- 
stances have  been  more  favorable  to  the  existence  of  mineral  veins  in 
some  rocks  than  in  others,  and  that  whatever  may  have  been  the  great 
geological  causes  which  brought  these  rocks  into  being,  where  the  con- 
ditions are  not  totally  different,  indications  of  the  precious  metals  may 
be  expected  wherever  they  occur.  The  eastern  boundary  of  this  belt  is 
in  general  terms  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  gneissic  and  granitic  rocks 
of  the  Kocky  Mountains,  but  in  almost  every  instance  where  outliers  of 
these  same  rocks  occur,  investigation  has  proved  the  existence  of  min- 
eral veins :  (e.  #.,  Pike's  Peak,  which  lies  150  miles  east  of  the  main  chaid 
of  the  Kocky  Mountains,  the  San  Lazaro  Mountains,  the  Cerillos,  in 
the  valley  of  the  Gallisteo,  &c.) 

The  first  lode  was  discovered  in  Colorado  by  John  Gregory,  May  6, 
1859,  on  claim  No.  5,  of  what  is  yet  called  the  "  Gregory  lode,"  near 
Central  City.  The  history  of  that  discovery  is  very  interesting,  as  an 
illustration  of  what  energy  and  perseverance,  guided  by  sound  common 
sense,  may  accomplish  for  a  man. 

Gregory  worked  this  lode  at  first,  of  course,  with  a  sluice,  and  got  out 
$972  from  the  disintegrated  surface.  The  news  spread^  rapidly,  and  the 
country  was  soon  swarming  with  prospectors  and  miners,  and  many 
other  lodes  were  immediately  discovered  and  worked.  This  was  the 
celebrated  Pike's  Peak  gold  fever,  from  which  the  growth  of  this  Terri- 
tory dates.  In  almost  every  case  the  mines  passed  into  the  hands  of 
different  parties,  as  the  getting  out  and  treatment  of  the  ore  became 
more  difficult  from  the  growing  scarcity  of  the  decomposed  surface  ore, 
until  at  last  matters  were  brought  to  a  stand-still  by  the  resistance 
offered  by  the  sulphurets  associated  below  with  the  gold  to  the  process  of 
amalgamation  then  in  vogue.  This  behavior,  which  would  have  been 
foreseen  by  more  experienced  miners,  seems  to  have  astonished  and  dis- 
pirited them,  and  an  exodus  from  the  region  was  the  result,  which  has 
been  repeated  at  various  times  since,  whenever  new  obstacles  were  to  be 
surmounted.  But  while  this  has  retarded  the  unnaturally  rapid  develop- 
ment of  the  Territory,  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  occurrence  of  these  sul- 
phurets and  the  working  of  them  will,  in  the  end,  prove  a  blessing  to 
Colorado,  by  giving  employment  to  more  persons,  and  thus  hastening 
the  maturity  of  this  commonwealth. 

The  counties  of  Colorado  in  which  as  yet  the  principal  mining  opera- 
tions have  been  conducted,  are,  in  the  order  of  their  present  importance : 
Gilpin,  Clear  Creek,  Park,  Summit,  Lake,  and  Boulder. 

To  enumerate  all  the  lodes  which  have  tieen  discovered,  or  even  those 
that  have  been  partially  wrought,  would  be  foreign  to  the  purpose  of 
this  report,  and  a  work  of  immense  labor ;  nor  would  such  a  catalogue 
serve  the  statistician  as  much  as  might  at  first  appear,  for  the  object  of 
all  these  incipient  undertakings  having  been  to  realize  the  greatest  pos- 

*  An  exception  to  this  general  rule  is  found  in  the  Hoosier  lode,  about  forty  miles 
north  of  Central  City.  This  vein  belongs  to  the  north  and  south  class,  but  is  never- 
theless rich  and  profitable. 


SURVEY  OF  COLORADO  AND  NEW  MEXICO.        129 

sible  amount  of  gold  in  the  minimum  time,  and  the  various  enterprises 
in  any  neighborhood  having  been  conducted  independently  of  each 
other,  by  parties  whose  interests  were  never  the  same  and  often  conflict- 
ing, no  pains  have  been  taken  to  settle  questions  which  did  not  concern 
the  values  of  the  ores  obtained ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  it  has  not  unfre- 
quently  happened  that  investigations  of  the  exact  positions  and  extent 
of  the  veins  were  opposed  to  the  interests  of  one  of  the  parties,  which 
thus  might  be  proved  to  be  working  somebody  else's  claim. 

To  explain  this  state  of  things,  it  will  be  necessary  to  state  that  by  a 
law  of  Colorado  (see  act  concerning  lode  claims)  it  is  provided  that — 

SEC.  5.  Any  person  or  persons  engaged  in  working  a  tunnel  within  the  provisions  of 
this  act  shall  be  entitled  to  250  feet  each  way  from  said  tunnel,  on  each  lode  so  dis- 
covered, provided  they  do  not  interfere  with  any  vested  rights.  If  it  shall  appear  that 
claims  have  been  staked  off  and  recorded  prior  to  the  record  of  said  tunnel  on  the  line 
thereof,  so  that  the  required  number  of  feet  cannot  be  taken  near  said  tunnel,  they 
may  be  taken  upon  any  part  thereof  when  the  same  may  be  found  vacant,  and  persons 
working  said  tunnel  shall  have  the  right  of  way  through  all  lodes  which  may  lie  in 
its  course. 

SEC.  7.  That  when  two  crevices  are  discovered  at  a  distance  from  each  other,  and 
known  by  different  names,  and  it  shall  appear  that  the  two  are  one  and  the  same  lode, 
the  persons  having  recorded  on  the  first  discovered  lode  shall  be  the  legal  owners. 

SEC.  8.  That  to  determine  when  the  two  lodes  are  one  and  the  same,  it  shall  be  ne- 
cessary for  the  person  claiming  that  the  two  are  the  same  lode  to  sink  shafts  at  no 
greater  distance  than  fifty  feet  apart,  and  finding  a  crevice  in  each  shaft,  and  forming 
a  continuous  line  of  shafts  from  one  lode  to  the  other  shall  be  conclusive  evidence  that 
the  two  are  one  and  the  same  lode. 

It  will  be  evident  from  this  that  when  two  parties  are  working  on 
what  is  suspected  of  being  one  and  the  same  claim,  those  who  have 
recorded  last  will  be  in  no  hurry  to  settle  the  question  tor  the  sake  of 
the  statistics,  and  that  as  it  costs  time  and  money  to  sink  shafts  fifty 
feet  apart  to  well-defined  walls,  over  a  distance  of  three  hundred  feet, 
(the  legal  extent  of  a  discovery  claim  in  each  direction  from  the  shaft,) 
it  is  not  always  that  these  comparatively  recently  opened  lodes  are 
thoroughly  known. 

In  my  very  restricted  report  of  the  mines  of  Colorado,  such  examples 
have  been  selected  as  present  mining  here  in  its  best  phase ;  or  rather,  of 
the  best  mines  in  the  regions  I  visited,  such  have  been  selected  as  I 
could  personally  visit  and  examine.  Much  of  interest  in  the  details  of 
mining  here  has  been  necessarily  omitted,  but  I  hope  that  what  informa- 
tion I  have  been  enabled  to  obtain  in  the  limited  time  at  my  disposal 
may  not  be  without  value,  though  submitted  without  attempt  at  arrange- 
ment, and  in  the  form  in  which  the  notes  were  taken  in  the  field. 

Many  knotty  questions  have  presented  themselves  to  the  miners  and 
smelters,  among  which,  perhaps,  the  knottiest  is  the  dressing  of  the 
second-class  ores  and  the  proper  form  to  which  to  bring  the  tailings 
before  they  are  ready  for  the  amalgamator  or  smelter.  It  is  believed 
by  many  able  miners,  and  the  complaint  is  frequently  made,  that  by  the 
use  of  wet  stamps  and  careless  feeding,  the  mm-men  waste  unnecessa- 
rily a  great  deal  of  gold,  and  from  this  it  is  argued  frequently,  with  less 
justice,  that  the  use  of  wet  stamps  is  pernicious  and  wasteful.  This  is 
going  too  far,  though  it  is  true  that  in  the  treatment  of  the  ores  around 
Central  City  and  elsewhere,  the  greatest  care  and  attention  are  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  prevent  great  needless  loss.  Less  ore  put  through 
the  mills,  with  correspondingly  greater  care  in  its  treatment,  would 
probably  be  the  best  remedy,  and  this  plan  would  very  'likely  produce 
the  owners  as  much  gold  as  they  get  at  present,  and  leave  them  so 
much  the  more  in  the  mine  to  work. 

In  conclusion  I  would  sum  up  the  impressions  I  have  received  from 

9  as 


130  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO  AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

the  tour  as  follows :  That  the  valuable  ores  abound  almost  everywhere 
in  the  granite  and  gneiss  of  the  Eocky  Mountains,  and  the  economic 
question  is  not  to  find  the  material,  but  the  capital  and  labor  with 
which  to  work.  That  the  country  over  which  these  investigations  were 
made  is  replete  with  those  minerals  which  by  their  decomposition  are 
found  by  experience  to  most  enrich  the  soil,  as  it  is  with  the  before-men- 
tioned minerals  of  commercial  value. 

That  the  climate  is  healthful  and  delightful,  the  country  well  sup- 
plied with  water,  which  breaks  from  its  rocky  reservoir,  with  few  excep- 
tions, at  distances  of  from  ten  to  fifteen  miles,  all  along  the  base  of  the 
mountains ;  the  communication  with  the  East  and  West  is  becoming  daily 
more  easy,  and  the  savages  of  the  plains  and  those  whose  headquarters 
used  to  be  the  gambling  hells  and  drinking  saloons  are  well  nigh  ban- 
ished from  this  favored  domain. 

That  the  land  is  being  tilled  and  prepared  to  support  the  large  popu- 
lation which  must  soon  settle  here,  and  everything  smiles  on  that  man 
wTho  brings  to  the  country  intelligence  and  a  pair  of  willing  hands. 

What  stands  in  the  way  of  the  country's  progress  are  the  greedy 
speculators  who  wish  to  use  Colorado  and  New  Mexico  as  mills  for 
turning  money  into  their  pockets,  regardless  of  the  interests  of  the 
growing  community.  The  system  of  grants,  also,  which  gives  to  one 
man  or  one  company  a  tract  of  country  much  larger  than  any  one  indi- 
vidual or  small  corporate  body  can  possibly  property  improve,  cannot 
fail  to  exercise  a  baneful  influence  on  the  prosperity  of  such  a  country, 
by  keeping  back  the  tide  of  hardy  and  industrious  settlers  who  would 
otherwise  pre-empt  and  settle  up  the  land.  And  wherever  such  a  grant 
exists,  a  backward  condition  of  the  country  may  be  expected.  To  a 
certain  extent  this  disregard  of  the  interests  of  these  two  sister  Territories 
may  be  observed  in  the  manner  in  which  certain  mines  have  been  worked. 
These  mines  have  been  hacked  to  pieces  to  produce  ore,  and  the  ore  has 
been  rushed  through  the  mill  to  produce  gold.  Nothing  seemed  to  have 
a  claim  to  the  consideration  of  such  owners  but  the  most  rapid  method  of 
realizing,  in  order  that  the  shortest  possible  time  might  intervene  before, 
their  fortunes  made,  they  could  quit  the  Territory  and  enjoy  them  else- 
where. In  this  way,  valuable  mines  have  been  ruined,  and  thousands  of 
dollars  of  the  Territory's  gold  thrown  away.  It  were  easier  to  detect  this 
fault  than  to  suggest  the  remedy  ;  but  the  remedy  will  present  itself,  when 
Colorado  and  New  Mexico  shall  be  filled  with  citizens  determined  to 
own  and  occupy  them,  and  shall  have  slipped  entirely  from  the  grasp 
of  those  who  wish  merely  to  hire  and  use  them.  The  observation  above,  in 
regard  to  the  remedy  for  the  present  losses  in  dressing  tailings,  has  been 
made  by  several  persons,  and  it  has  been  added  that  even  a  smaller 
profit  from  more  thoroughly  and  carefully  worked  ore  would  in  reality 
pay  the  owners  better,  give  a  more  healthy  tone  to  mining,  advance  it 
as  an  art,  and  spare  millions  of  dollars  in  the  end.  While  the  adjust- 
ment of  such  complicated  questions  as  these  is  one  which  must  await 
the  lapse  of  time  and  the  course  of  events,  it  would  be  well  for  inter- 
ested parties  to  consider  in  what  way  to  manage  their  property  out  here 
so  as  to  assure  themselves  against  present  possible  loss,  and  of  future 
increase  in  its  value.  To  do  this  without  radiating  prosperity  on  all 
around  them,  and  building  up  the  wealth  and  power  of  the  country,  is 
a  problem  whiph  will  tax  their  abilities  to  the  utmost,  however  great 
those  abilities  may  be. 


REPORT   OF   CYRUS   THOMAS. 


AGRICULTURE  OP   COLORADO. 


DEAR  SIR  :  Having  been  directed  by  you,  in  addition  to  iny  other 
duties,  to  collect  such  information  as  I  could  in  regard  to  the  agricul- 
ture of  those  portions  of  Colorado  and  New  Mexico  through  which  your 
expedition  should  pass,  I  have  the  honor  to  report  to  you  that  I  have'per- 
formed  this  duty  to  the  best  of  my  ability  and  opportunities.  And  here- 
with I  present  a  partial  report  of  my  investigations,  being  unable  to  pre- 
sent even  a  complete  or  full  preliminary  report,  for  want  of  statistics, 
which  I  cannot  obtain  in  the  field,  where  this  is  written ;  and,  also,  be- 
cause I  have  riot  yet  received  answers  to  some  of  the  most  important  in- 
quiries I  have  sent  out  to  some  of  the  best  informed  citizens  of  these  Terri- 
tories. I  hope  to  be  able,  shortly,  to  present  you  a  much  fuller  and  more 
satisfactory  report  on  this  very  important  subject.  I  trust  that  even  the 
imperfect  and  partial  report  herewith  presented  will  be  sufficient  to  fully 
justify  the  interest  you  have  taken  in  the  development  of  the  agricultu- 
ral resources  of  the  Great  West. 

Although  the  chief  object  of  your  expedition  may  be  to  determine 
the  geological  features  of  these  regions,  and  thus  increase  the  store  of 
scientific  facts  by  which  the  great  problems  of  nature  may  be  solved, 
yet  the  economic  value  of  these  investigations  will  be  shown  in  the  in- 
creased impetus  they  give  to  the  development  of  the  agricultural  and 
mineral  resources  of  the  country. 

Our  line  of  travel  having  been  along  the  eastern  flank  of  the  Eocky 
Mountain  range,  from  north  to  south,  my  personal  examinations  have 
necessarily  been  confined  to  the  margin  of  the  arable  lauds  of  these 
territories.  And  as  we  were  constantly  moving,  seldom  remaining  at 
any  one  point  more  than  a  day  or  two,  I  have  been  compelled  to  rely 
upon  the  statements  of  residents  for  much  of  my  information  in  regard 
to  the  climate,  seasons,  crops,  &c.,  &c.  But  I  have  endeavored  to  con- 
sult the  best  sources  of  information.  Two  circumstances  have  very 
much  favored  my  efforts : 

First.  The  proper  appreciation  of  your  efforts  in  this  direction  by  the 
citizens,  and  their  willingness  to  furnish  all  the  information  and  aid  in 
their  power  to  facilitate  the  matter. 

Second.  The  fact  that  the  passage  of  your  expedition  through  the 
country  happened  to  be  made  during  harvest,  and  in  one  of  the  most 
favorable  seasons,  for  agriculture,  that  has  been  experienced  in  these 
Territories  for  many  years.  This  enabled  me  to  make  a  partial  compari- 
son of  the  statements  received  from  others,  in  regard  to  the  yield  and 
quality  of  the  crops,  with  my  own  observations  on  these  points,  thus 
testing  the  accuracy  of  these  statements.  I  am  glad  to  inform  you,  that 
so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  make  this  test,  it  has  confirmed  the  reports 
which  I  have  received  from  others,  showing  them  to  be  reliable. 
Trusting  this  may  prove  satisfactory,  I  remain  yours,  truly, 

CYKUS  THOMAS. 

Dr.  F.  V.  HAYDEN, 

United  States  Geologist. 


134  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

Situated  between  37°  and  41°  of  north  latitude,  and  102°  and  109°  of 
west  longitude,  Colorado  Territory  extends  east  and  west  about  three 
hundred  and  ninety  miles,  and  north  and  south  about  two  hundred  and 
seventy -five  miles,  forming  a  rectangle  containing  an  area  of  106,500 
square  miles,  or  68,144,000  acres.  Eeaching  from  near  the  middle  of 
the  great  trans-Mississippi  plain  up  the  mountain  slope,  it  laps  over  the 
summit  of  the  great  divide  and  rests  its  western  border  on  the  Colorado 
basin.  And  including,  as  it  does,  within  its  bounds  the  great  system  of 
mountain  parks,  and  the  sources  of  the  four  great  rivers,  the  Eio  Grande 
del  Norte,  the  Eio  Colorado,  the  Arkansas,  and  South  Platte,  it  has 
been  appropriately  termed  "The  Gem  of  the  Mountains."  And, like 
Switzerland  in  Europe,  it  may  be  said  to  be  unique  in  its  geographical 
features. 

Of  the  large  area  contained  within  its  boundary  lines,  about  four- 
sevenths  are  embraced  in  the  true  mountain  region,  whose  snowy  sum- 
mits form  the  watershed  of  the  continent.  The  remaining  three-sevenths, 
situated,  chiefly,  east  of  105°  of  west  longitude,  and  extending  the  whole 
length  of  the  Territory  north  and  south,  consist,  in  great  part,  of  broad 
plains  furrowed  by  shallow  valleys,  widening  and  fading  away  as  they 
extend  eastward  j  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  parks  and  some  valleys 
of  the  mountains,  contain  all  the  arable  lands  of  the  Territory. 

But  since  much  of  this  latter  portion,  lying  along  the  eastern  bound- 
ary, is  devoid  of  water,  excepting  the  few  streams  which  traverse  it, 
the  agricultural  population  has,  as  yet,  been  confined  within  a  compara- 
tively narrow  strip  along  the  eastern  slope  of  the  mountains. 

In  order  to  obtain  a  more  correct  and  minute  idea  of  the  geographical 
position  and  extent  of  that  portion  of  the  Territory  which  is  susceptible 
of  cultivation,  it  will  be  necessary  to  consider  it  in  separate  districts. 
And  we  are  not  left,  in  this,  to  mark  out  arbitrary  lines,  for  nature  has 
fixed  prominent  lines  and  permanent  boundaries  to  each.  Water  is  the 
great  desideratum  in  the  agricultural  development  of  this  country,  and 
the  method  of  its  distribution  we  shall  find  is  the  true  key  to  the  agri- 
cultural system  of  the  Territory,  and  its  turning  sheds  the  boundaries  of 
the  districts. 

Beginning  at  the  northern  part,  we  find  the  South  Platte  Eiver  is  the 
outlet  for  all  the  water  of  this  section  which  flows  towards  the  Atlantic. 
Moving  up  this  stream  from  its  point  of  exit,  near  the  northeast  corner 
of  the  Territory,  it  will  be  seen  that  after  crossing  the  104°  of  west 
longitude  it  branches  rapidly  into  its  numerous  tributaries.  The  portion 
of  country  drained  by  these  numerous  minor  streams  is  bounded  on  the 
west  by  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Eocky  Mountains,  and  on  the  south  by 
a  high,  broken,  irregular  ridge  called  the  Divide,  which,  starting  from 
the  base  of  the  mountains  opposite  South  Park,  runs  eastward  until  lost 
in  the  plains.  This  constitutes  the  northern  agricultural  division,  which, 
for  convenience,  I  shall  name  the  Denver  district. 

This  Divide  separates  the  waters  of  South  Platte  from  those  of  the 
Arkansas,  and  forms  the  northern  boundary  of  the  second  district,  which 
is  the  area  lying  between  it  and  the  Eaton  Mountains.  This  division, 
which  may  be  appropriately  named  the  Arkansas  district,  is  drained  by 
the  Arkansas  and  its  tributaries.  These  two  districts  contain  most  of 
the  tillable  land  of  the  Territory  lying  east  of  the  mountains. 

I  may  as  well  remark  here,  that  in  my  use  of  the  terms  "  tillable," 
"  arable,"  "  susceptible  of  cultivation,"  &c.,  I  do  not  intend  thereby  to 
exclude  the  idea  of  the  future  possibility  of  cultivating  other  sections, 
but  simply  intend  to  express  the  fact,  that  those  sections,  so  termed,  are 
now  sufficiently  supplied  with  water  for  farming  purposes. 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO.  135 

The  third  district,  which  is  the  San  Luis  Park,  belongs  both  to  New 
Mexico  and  Colorado,  and  cannot  be  divided  into  parts  corresponding 
with  the  arbitrary  line  of  division  between  these  two  Territories. 

The  fourth  division  I  shall  make  is  not  a  separate  district,  as  each  of 
the  others,  but  includes  the  other  parks  and  the  small  amount  of  arable 
land  in  the  mountain  valleys,  which,  on  account  of  the  proximity  of  some 
of  them  to  the  mining  districts,  become  important,  notwithstanding  their 
small  extent.  This  may  be  called  the  mountain  district. 

It  will  be  seen  that  each  of  these  three  natural  districts  has  its  great 
river  by  which  it  is  drained  ;  the  Denver  district  finding  an  outlet  for 
its  waters  through  the  South  Platte ;  the  Arkansas  district  through  the 
Arkansas  River;  the  San.  Luis  Park  through  the  Eio  Grande.  And  as 
we  descend  to  the  examination  of  the  more  minute  divisions  of  these 
larger  districts,  we  must  follow  the  natural  arrangement  of  streams  and 
valleys. 

THE  DENVER  DISTRICT. 

This  district  is  naturally  divided  into  two  sections  j  the  first  includ- 
ing the  territory  north  of  the  South  Platte  and  between  it  and  the  moun- 
tains ;  the  second,  the  territory  between  the  Platte  and  the  Divide. 

As  the  first  section  presents  more  definitely  and  sharply  the  peculiar 
features  of  this  country  which  bear  upon  its  agriculture  than  any  other 
portion,  I  will  give  a  somewhat  minute  description  of  it. 

The  Platte,  leaving  the  mountains  some  twenty  miles  southwest  of 
Denver,  after  bearing  out  a  short  distance  on  the  plains,  runs  northeast, 
slightly  diverging  from  a  parallel  course  with  the  east  range  of  mountains, 
for  a  distance  of  about  eighty  miles,  where  it  is  joined  by  the  Cache  a  la 
Poudre,  and  then  turns  eastward ;  thus  giving  the  section  a  triangular 
shape,  with  the  north  side  of  the  Cache  a  la  Poudre  valley  as  its  base, 
the  mountains  for  one  side,  and  the  Platte  the  other.  Its  general  sur- 
face is  a  broad  plain  sloping  from  the  mountain  flank  eastward  to  the 
river  level  with  valley  furrows,  and  rounded,  low  ridges  traversing  it 
from  west  to  east. 

The  various  streams  which  take  their  rise  in  the  mountains  east  of 
the  great  Divide,  between  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific,  run 
nearly  an  eastern  course  until  they  unite  with  the  Platte. 

The  first  debris,  and  all  the  heavier  materials,  brought  down  from  the 
mountains  since  their  upheaval,  have,  as  a  matter  of  course,  been  depos- 
ited near  the  base.  Hence  as  we  recede  from  the  mountains  toward  the 
east,  this  local  drift  decreases  in  the  size  of  its  particles  and  depth  of 
deposit.  Over  this  is  deposited  the  alluvial  stratum  forming  the  soil, 
which,  close  to  the  base  of  the  mountain,  but  thinly  covers  the 
boulder  drift,  but  increases  in  thickness  eastward.  The  creeks  rush- 
ing down  more  rapidly  near  the  mountains,  cut  deeper  furrows  through 
this  deposit  near  the  base  than  at  a  distance  from  it.  In  consequence 
of  this,  the  terraces  or  ridges,  which  lie  between  the  streams,  are  highest 
above  the  water  near  the  mountains,  decreasing  as  they  recede  from  it ; 
that  is,  the  distance  between  the  water  level  of  a  stream  and  the  top  of 
the  terrace  which  flanks  its  valley  is  more,  half  a  mile  from  the  foot 
of  the  mountain  than  it  is  ten  mi'les  from  the  foot.  This  fact  in  other 
parts  of  our  country  might  have  very  little  bearing  upon  agriculture, 
but  it  is  a  consideration  of  vital  importance  to  the  Colorado  farmer,  who 
must  irrigate  his  land  or  receive  but  little  return  for  his  labor  j  for  when- 
ever this  is  the  case  it  is  evident  that  at  some  point,  the  water  can  be 
carried  to  the  top  of  the  bordering  terrace. 


136  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO. 

The  portion  of  country  north  of  the  Cache  a  la  Poudre  valley,  although 
affording  good  pasturage  for  cattle  and  sheep,  is  not  generally  included 
in  the  estimate  of  arable  land,  on  account  of  its  lack  of  irrigating  facili- 
ties. Yet  the  Box  Elder  Valley  is  quite  fertile,  and  will  afford  room  for 
a  considerable  number  of  good  farms,  and  the  creek,  though  small,  is 
probably  sufficient  to  irrigate  the  red  bottom  of  the  valley. 

Commencing  with  the  Cache  a  la  Poudre,  as  the  northern  limit  of  the 
section,  which  is  some  seventy  miles  north  of  Denver,  and  proceeding 
south,  I  will  describe  briefly  the  valleys  according  to  the  streams  which 
water  them.  This  stream,  from  the  point  where  it  issues  from  the 
mountains,  near  Laporte,  to  its  junction  with  the  Platte,  a  distance  of 
thirty  -five  miles,  runs  through  a  very  pretty  fertile  valley,  which  aver- 
ages, perhaps,  two  miles  or  more  in  width,  being  narrow  near  the  moun- 
tains and  expanding  as  it  recedes  from  them.  The  bottom  land  of  the 
valley  is  flanked  on  the  north  side  by  a  rolling  irregular  ridge,  and  on 
the  south  side  by  a  somewhat  level  terrace  of  moderate  elevation.  The 
stream,  at  Laporte,  is  about  twenty-five  yards  in  width,  clear  and  rapid, 
affording  a  sufficient  supply  of  water  and  ample  descent  for  irrigating 
the  bottoms  and  ridges  or  terraces  which  border  it. 

The  next  stream,  going  south,  is  the  Big  Thompson,  which  runs  east- 
ward nearly  thirty  miles,  and  also  empties  into  the  South  Platte.  This 
stream,  and  the  valley  it  waters,  are  very  similar  in  all  respects  to  that 
of  Cache  a  la  Poudre.  The  third,  is  the  Little  Thompson,  a  tributary  of 
the  Big  Thompson,  but,  as  this  creek  is  liable  to  fail  in  its  supply  of 
water  during  the  summer  and  autumn,  it  cannot  be  relied  upon  for  irri- 
gation. Yet  its  valley  affords  excellent  pasturage  for  cattle  and  sheep, 
and  will  furnish  a  most  excellent  range  for  stock  when  the  neighboring 
valleys  become  thickly  settled  and  fenced  up.  Still  moving  south,  the 
next  stream  we  cross  is  the  St.  Vrain,  about  equal  in  its  volume  of  water 
to  the  Big  Thompson.  It  runs  through  a  very  fertile  valley  of  varied 
width,  reaching  the  Platte  at  a  distance  of  about  twenty-five  miles  from 
where  it  leaves  the  mountains.  The  bay -like  widenings  of  this  valley 
afford  room  for  extensive  farms,  of  which  the  settlers  are  rapidly  avail- 
ing themselves.  Left  Hand  Creek,  a  tributary  of  St.  Yrain,  affords  a 
small  valley  eleven  miles  in  length.  Boulder  Creek,  the  next  in  order, 
issues  from  the  mountains  near  Boulder  City,  and,  after  running  some- 
what northeast  for  eighteen  miles,  unites  with  the  St.  Yrain.  Some  of 
the  finest  farming  and  grazing  lands  north  of  Denver  are  found  along 
this  stream.  At  its  debouchure  from  the  mountain  gorge  are  gathered 
heavy  deposits  of  boulders  and  pebbles,  from  which,  doubtless,  the 
creek  and  city  have  received  their  names.  Although  these  deposits  are 
but  scantily  covered  with  soil,  yet  the  fertility  seems  to  be  but  slightly 
impaired  thereby,  as  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  here  is  a  thrifty  growth 
of  willow  -and  cotton  wood. 

The  bottom  of  this  valley,  like  that  of  St.  Yrain,  widens  out  at  points 
to  a  considerable  extent.  Continuing  our  course  southward  with  the 
snow-covered  peaks  rising  above  the  rocky  wall  to  our  right,  we  next 
arrive  at  South  Boulder  Creek,  which,  leaving  the  mountains  near  Mar- 
shall's coal  mine,  runs  a  circuit  of  some  eight  miles  and  unites  with 
Boulder  Creek.  Here,  I  may  justly  say,  is  found  the  link  that  unites 
the  agriculture  of  the  plains  with  the  mining  of  the  mountains,  the  two 
great  interests  of  Colorado. 

Standing  on  the  grass-covered  bluff  overlooking  this  little  limped 
stream,  the  eye,  as  it  shoots  out  its  glance  north  and  east  over  the 
plains,  wearies  itself  in  attempting  to  mark  the  boundary  of  vision. 
The  valleys  over  which  we  have  passed  in  our  journey  southward, 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO.  137 

like  dim  lines,  are  traced  across  the  broad  meadowy  expanse.  Bounded 
ridges,  level  surface  terraces,  straight  foothills,  with  green  swarded 
escarpments  and  isolated  buttes  fill  up  the  outline.  Sinking  into  the 
bluff  on  which  we  have  been  standing,  we  pass  alternating  strata  of 
coal  and  iron  ore.  Here  they  quietly  rest,  rich,  thick,  and  abundant — 
the  fuel  and  the  metal.  The  one  to  convert  the  other  into  instruments 
to  till  the  soil,  to  harvest  the  grain,  to  thresh  and  garner  it,  to  convert 
it  into  food,  to  make  the  highway  of  transportation,  and  carry  it  to  the 
miners  of  the  mountains  and  the  snow-bound  dwellers  in  the  far  north. 
Such  a  combination  is  seldom  seen.  And,  though  not  directly  embraced 
in  the  object  of  this  report,  yet  I  feel  justified  in  alluding  to  it,  for  the 
reason  that  the  opening  and  development  of  these  mines  are  intimately 
connected  with  the  agricultural  development  of  the  country.  The  ag- 
ricultural instruments  now  in  use  are  brought  from  the  States  at  an 
expense  of  transportation  equal  to  their  original  cost.  This  need  not  be 
so ;  Colorado  has  her  coal,  her  iron,  and,  in  part,  her  timber.  It  only 
needs  to  be  developed  and  applied  to  that  purpose  for  which  nature  has 
so  bountifully  provided  it. 

Descending  from  our  elevated  position,  and  continuing  our  course 
southward,  after  pa'ssing  some  minor  streams,  we  reach  Coal  Creek,  also 
a  tributary  of  Boulder  Creek.  But  this  is  not  an  unfailing  stream,  and 
although  some  farms  are  found  along  its  valley,  yet  it  cannot  be  de- 
pended upon  for  irrigating  purposes.  Clear  Creek,  which  passes  within 
four  miles  of  Denver,  gives  a  valley  of  eighteen  miles  before  it  empties 
into  the  South  Platte.  It  is  already  lined  with  well  cultivated  farms  and 
comfortable  houses,  from  which  the  Denver  market  is  in  part  supplied 
with  grain,  vegetables,  and  meat.  Finally,  in  our  course  southward,  we 
reach  Bear  Creek,  the  last  of  the  series  of  these  transverse  streams,  which, 
after  a  short  run  of  nine  or  ten  miles  from  the  mountains,  pours  its 
waters  into  South  Platte.  A  short  distance  below  this  we  arrive  at  the 
apex  of  the  triangle  before  described,  which  contains,  including  the 
Platte  Valley,  about  800,000  acres  of  land.  Of  this  amount  about  one- 
third  is  bottom  land,  the  remainder  forming  the  ridges  and  terraces 
which  lie  between  the  valleys.  The  greater  portion  of  this  entire  tri- 
angular section  is  susceptible  of  cultivation,  and  the  remainder  well 
adapted  to  grazing  purposes.  The  bottoms  along  these  creeks  vary 
from  half  a  mile  to  four  or  five  miles  in  width,  giving,  perhaps,  an  aver- 
age width  of  two  or  two  and  a  half  miles.  Between  these  valleys  are 
the  more  elevated  portions,  forming,  sometimes,  rounded  ridges,  at 
others,  regular  terraces  or  benches,  or  rolling,  gradually  descending 
prairies,  but  seldom  rising  into  abrupt  hills ;  the  whole  face  of  the 
country  being  richly  carpeted  with  nutritious  grasses.  These  ridges, 
which  border  the  valleys,  vary  in  their  elevation  above  the  water  level 
of  the  creeks  from  a  few  feet,  out  on  the  plains,  to  forty  and  fifty  feet 
near  the  base  of  the  mountain,  and,  with  few  exceptions,  are  in  reach 
of  water  sufficient  for  irrigation. 

The  valley  of  the  South  Platte  is  undoubtedly  the  most  important,  ex- 
tensive, and  fertile  strip  of  tillable  land  in  the  northern  portion  of  the 
Territory.  But  the  descent  being  less  in  this  river  than  in  the  smaller 
streams  we  have  been  describing,  ditching,  for  irrigation,  is  more  expen- 
sive. Yet  it  is  rapidly  filling  up  with  an  enterprising  farming  popula- 
tion?  and  is  being  brought  under  an  intelligent  and  profitable  system  of 
cultivation. 


138  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND    NEW    MEXICO. 

SOUTHERN  SECTION  OF  DENVER  DISTRICT. 

Passing  across  the  Platte,  going  south,  we  enter  upon  a  section  where 
a  considerable  change  of  scenery  is  at  once  apparent,  and  where  the 
geographical  arrangement  is  entirely  different  from  that  we  saw  north 
of  the  river.  There  we  saw  a  regular  succession  of  cool,  limpid  streams 
rushing  down  from  the  Rocky  Mountain  gorges,  furrowing  their  way 
through  the  plains  eastward  to  the  Platte,  the  great  central  artery  of 
the  district.  Here  we  find  an  irregular  arrangement  of  long,  slender 
streams,  arising  chiefly  within  the  space  of  forty  miles  along  the  north- 
ern slope  of  the  Divide.  Carrying  their  volumes  of  water  down  this 
descent,  they  enter  upon  the  broad,  comparatively  level,  and  somewhat 
sandy  plains,  and  receiving  but  few  tributaries,  they  stmggle  against 
the  rapid  absorption  of  the  porous  soil,  growing  feebler  and  feebler,  till 
finally,  in  the  dry  season,  they  are  lost,  without  reaching  the  Platte. 
Plum  Creek,  which  lies  next  the  mountains,  is  perhaps  the  only  exception. 
It  follows,  then,  that  the  tillable  part  of  this  section  is  confined  to  the 
valleys  along  the  upper  portions  of  these  streams.  There  is  also  a 
marked  difference  between  the  valleys  of  these  streams  and  those  north, 
in  this :  while  the  latter  in  most  cases  have  bottoms  of  greater  or  less 
width  on  both  sides,  which  are  flanked  by  terraces  with  graceful,  grassy 
escarpments,  the  streams  south,  cutting  through  the  deep  sandy  deposit, 
generally  have  on  one  or  the  other  side  steep,  bluffy  banks  of  crumbling 
sand,  reaching  the  surface  of  the  second  bottom.  And  even  the  bottoms 
which  do  border  these  streams  very  often  appear  to  be  irregular  flats, 
scooped  out  of  the  higher  land  which  once  pressed  close  on  the  central 
channel.  But  these  flats,  where  they  can  receive  sufficient  water,  are 
exceedingly  rich  and  productive,  yielding  some  of  the  heaviest  crops  of 
the  Territory. 

In  regard  to  the  various  valleys  of  this  section,  and  the  extent  to 
which  they  can  be  cultivated,  I  can  at  this  time  give  but  an  approximate 
estimate. 

Beginning  at  the  base  of  the  mountains,  and  moving  eastward  along 
the  northern  slope  of  the  Divide,  the  first  stream  we  reach  is  Plum  Creek, 
which  has  two  branches,  East  Plum  Creek  and  West  Plum  Creek,  the 
one  flowing  from  the  mountains,  the  other  from  the  Divide.  This  has  a 
run  of  some  twenty-five  miles  before  reaching  the  Platte.  It  furnishes 
water  most  of  this  distance,  and  has  some  fine  bottom  lands  on  it,  a 
good  part  of  which  is  already  under  cultivation  or  occupied. 

The  next  stream  in  our  course  eastward  is  Cherry  Creek,  which  has 
quite  a  number  of  small  affluents  entering  into  it  from  the  rounded  hills 
on  each  side.  From  its  source  to  its  mouth  is  a  distance  of  some  forty- 
five  or  fifty  miles,  affording  water  for  irrigation  the  greater  part  of  its 
length,  but  drying  up  near  its  terminus  at  the  city  of  Denver.  This 
valley  is  quite  fertile,  and  tolerably  well  settled  at  the  more  attractive 
points. 

The  other  creeks  siicceed  each  other  in  the  following  order:  Running 
Creek,  Kiowa,  Wolf,  and  Bijou ;  in  regard  to  which  I  have  received  but 
little  information.  They  generally  dry  up  on  the  plains  during  the  sum- 
mer and  fall,  affording  water  for  irrigation  from  twenty  to  thirty  miles 
from  their  sources.  Their  valleys  are  as  yet  but  sparsely  settled.  On 
the  immediate  slope  of  the  Divide,  in  the  bottoms  which  flank  these 
streams,  irrigation  is  generally  unnecessary,  as  a  sufficient  amount  of 
rain  falls  to  supply  the  crops  with  the  necessary  amount  of  moisture  to 
mature  them. 


SURVEY    OF    COLORADO   AND    NEW   MEXICO.  139 

SOIL. 

The  soil  throughout  this  district  presents  great  uniformity  in  quality, 
as  is  clearly  shown  by  the  striking  similarity  of  the  plants  of  its  differ- 
ent parts.  It  is  chiefly  a  light  loam,  in  which  the  silicious  and  micaceous 
ingredients  predominate.  Yet  there  is  a  considerable  difference  between 
the  two  sections  in  one  respect :  while  in  the  northern  the  particles  are 
coarse  and  sharp,  in  the  southern  they  are  fine  and  rounded,  and  the 
arenaceous  portion  bears  a  larger  ratio  to  the  whole. 

But  to  form  a  correct  idea  of  this  soil,  especially  in  the  northern  sec- 
tion of  the  district,  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  streams,  in  passing 
from  the  snow-clad  crests  of  the  vast  range  of  mountains  to  the  broad 
prairies  of  the  plains,  sweep  over  the  upheaved  margins  of  the  entire 
geological  series  represented  in  this  region.  And  as  they  rush  down  the 
mountain  gorges,  and  along  the  rocky  canons,  they  bear  away  with 
them  the  debris  from  all  the  strata  they  touch,  from  the  primary  granite 
to  the  most  recent  tertiary  representative,  mingling  it  together  and  scat- 
tering it  over  the  plains  they  cross ;  not  only  the  confined  streams  of 
the  present  era,  but  all  the  waters  which  have  swept  the  mountain 
slope  since  it  was  lifted  up  by  the  vast  subterranean  force  by  which  they 
were  formed.  The  atmospheric  currents  clriving  to  and  fro  the  lighter 
and  dry  particles  on  the  surface,  have  assisted  in  the  mingling  process. 
This  combination  of  the  various  mineral  elements  gives  to  the  soil  an 
adaptability  to  a  large  variety  of  plants.  The  predominance  of  silicious 
matter  renders  it  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  growth  of  wheat  and  oats,  and 
the  addition  of  decayed  vegetable  materials  causes  it  to  produce  heavy 
crops  of  succulent  and  bulbous  vegetables. 

It  varies  considerably  in  depth  ;  near  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  where 
the  water  traveled  more  rapidly,  it  has  covered  the  boulders  and  gravels 
with  a  thin  crust,  while  farther  down  on  the  plains  it  grows  thicker  as 
we  recede  from  the  mountains.  Although  the  bottoms  along  the  creeks 
contain  a  greater  proportion  of  decayed  vegetable  matter  than  the  ter- 
races and  ridges,  yet  the  latter  are  equally  rich  in  the  primary  elements, 
and  by  a  sufficient  supply  of  water,  will  produce  the  cereals  as  heavily 
as  the  former.  And,  as  on  these  terraces  vegetation  ripens  some  eight 
or  ten  days  earlier  than  on  the  bottoms,  they  possess  this  advantage. 
•  In  the  "southern  section  the  case  is  somewhat  different,  the  Divide 
being  largely  composed  of  loose  conglomerate  of  well-worn  particles ; 
when  these  are  carried  down  by  the  more  slowly  running  water,  they 
become  more  finely  comminuted  and  worn,  forming  heavier  beds  of  sand 
nearer  the  base.  In  consequence  of  this  fact  the  water  sinks  much 
sooner  than  in  the  northern  section.  This  deeper  deposit  of  sand  is 
often  very  apparent  along  the  margins  of  the  streams  where  they  have 
cut  aw  ay' the  banks. 

CLIMATE. 

This  strip  of  country  lying  longitudinally  north  and  south  along  the 
east  flanks  of  the  mountain,  the  temperature  necessarily  varies  as  the 
points  recede  from  each  other.  And  as  we  descend  from  the  higher  por- 
tions along  the  base  of  the  mountain  to  the  valleys  of  the  plains  the 
isothermal  lines  bend  considerably  northward.  But  the  average  tem- 
perature of  the  northern  section  may  be  compared  with  that  along  the 
eastern  slope  of  the  Alleghenies,  in  Pennsylvania,  with  which  it  very 
nearly  corresponds.  The  altitude  varying  from  three  to  seven  thousand 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  the  line  of  perpetual  snow  not  far 


140  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

distant,  the  atmosphere  is  salubrious  and  remarkably  free  from  mias- 
matic vapors  and  impurities.  And  as  we  proceed  southward,  although 
there  is  a  gradual  increase  in  the  average  warmth,  yet  it  is  partially 
compensated  by  strong  breezes  which  stir  the  air  during  the  warmer 
season.  In  the  summer  the  heat,  it  is  true,  is  often  somewhat  intense, 
especially  in  the  valleys  where  the  air  is  partially  confined.  But  on  the 
higher  grounds  the  breezes  descending  from  the  mountains  render  it 
more  pleasant.  The  air  rarified  on  the  plains  rises,  while  another  por- 
tion, cooled  by  the  snows  of  the  mountains,  sweeps  down  the  slopes  and 
brings  with  it  a  refreshing  coolness. 

Snow  generally  begins  to- fall  in  October,  and  ceases  in  April,  or  about 
the  first  of  May,  in  the  latitude  of  Denver  $  but,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
beginning  later  and  ceasing  earlier  in  the  southern  districts. 

Although  it  sometimes,  though  rarely,  reaches  a  depth  of  twelve  or 
fourteen  inches,  yet  it  passes  off  almost  as  rapidly  as  it  comes,  seldom 
remaining  longer  than  twenty-four  hours.  Even  in  the  valleys  which 
penetrate  the  first  range  of  mountains  in  the  northern  section,  this  is 
also  the  case.  Some  winters  but  little  snow  falls  during  the  entire  season. 
As  conclusive  evidence  of  this  statement,  cattle  are  herded  out  daring 
the  entire  winter  in  all  parts  of  the  Territory,  such  a  thing  as  prepara- 
tion for  winter-feeding  being  almost  wholly  unknown.  And  yet  in  the 
spring  they  will  come  out  in  as  good  order  as  those  of  the  States  which 
have  been  housed  and  fed  day  by  day.  The  Mexican  horses  or  bronchos 
will  also  winter  out  during  the  season,  like  the  cattle. 

The  troublesome  factor  in  the  great  problem  of  the  development  of 
the  agricultural  capacity  of  the  vast  western  plains  is  the  supply  of 
water.  Furnish  this,  and  the  fertile  prairies  and  valleys  east  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi will  soon  find  a  strong  rival  contending  with  them  in  the  grain 
marts  of  the  world  for  precedence.  Furnish  this,  and  the  "  Great  Amer- 
ican Desert n  of  old  geographers  will  soon  become  one  mighty  field  of 
flowing  grain.  Furnish  this,  and  the  few  other  minor  impeding  factors 
will  soon  be  eliminated.  The  streams  rushing  down  from  the  mountains 
slacken  their  course  on  the  level  plains  where  the  great  battle  between 
moisture  and  aridity  begins.  Is  there  any  power  in  the  human  grasp 
to  assist  nature  in  this  struggle,  and  turn  the  scale  in  her  favor  ? 

Before  attempting  to  give  a  direct  answer  to  this  question,  I  will  state 
some  facts  connected  with  this  matter,  and  then  advance  a  theory, 
which,  if  correct,  is  of  great  importance  in  developing  the  agricultural 
capacity  of  this  country. 

When  we  reached  the  Cache  a  la  Poudre,  at  Laporte,  I  heard  it  re- 
marked that  this  stream  now,  and  for  a  few  years  past,  has  been  sending 
down  a  larger  volume  of  water  than  it  formerly  did.  I  thought  little  of 
the  matter  at  the  time  and  let  it  pass,  simply  noting  the  statement. 
But  when  I  reached  the  next  stream  in  our  journey  south,  the  same  thing 
was  repeated  in  regard  to  other  streams  in  that  section.  And  to  confirm 
the  statement  certain  streams  were  pointed  out,  which,  up  to  about  1862, 
had  been  in  the  habit  of  drying  up  annually  at  certain  points,  which 
since  that  time  at  these  points  have  been  constantly  running.  This 
caused  me  afterwards,  during  the  whole  length  of  our  journey  along  the 
eastern  flanks  of  the  mountains,  to  make  this  a  special  subject  of  inquiry. 

And  somewhat  to  my  surprise,  I  have  found  the  same  thing  repeated 
at  almost  every  point  as  far  south  as  Las  Vegas,  in  New  Mexico,  and  no 
opposing  testimony.  Streams  bearing  down  heavier  volumes  of  water 
than  formerly ;  others  becoming  constant  runners  which  were  formerly 
in  the  habit  of  drying  up ;  springs  bursting  out  at  points  where  formerly 
there  were  none  5  acequias  allowed  to  go  to  decay  because  they  have 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO.  141 

not  been  needed,  &c.  Even  the  Arkansas,  as  late  as  1862  and  1863, 
was  dry,  from  Pawnee  to  the  Cimarron  crossing,  bnt  such  a  thing  has 
not  been  known  since.  Seven  or  eight  years  ago  it  was  not  uncommon 
for  the  Pecos  to  dry  up,  but  now  such  a  thing  would  be  looked  upon  as 
a  strange  event.  And,  in  building  Denver,  a  mistake.was  made  in  rely- 
ing upon  the  dry  bottom  of  Cherry  Creek,  which  shortly  afterwards 
sent  down  a  rush  of  water  to  warn  them  of  her  slumbering  powers.  Nor 
does  this  wholly  exhaust  the  testimony  on  this  point,  for,  in  addition 
thereto,  is  the  uniform  assertion  of  those  who  have  resided  in  the  Terri- 
tory for  ten  or  twelve  years  or  more,  that  for  six  or  seven  years  past 
there  has  been  a  gradual  increase  of  rain.  It  is  a  common  expression  of 
the  Mexicans  and  Indians  that  the  Americans  bring  rain  with  them. 

All  this,  it  seems  to  me,  must  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  since  the 
Territory  has  begun  to  be  settled,  towns  and  cities  built  up,  farms  culti- 
vated, mines  opened,  and  roads  made  and  traveled,  there  has  been  a 
gradual  increase  of  moisture.  Be  the  cause  what  it  may,  unless  it  is 
assumed  that  thei«e  is  a  cycle  of  years  through  which  there  is  an  increase, 
and  that  there  will  be  a  corresponding  decrease,  the  fact  must  be  ad- 
mitted upon  this  accumulated  testimony.  I  therefore  give  it  as  my  firm 
conviction  that  this  increase  is  of  a  permanent  nature,  and  not  periodi- 
cal, and  that  it  has  commenced  within  eight  years  past,  and  that  it  is  in 
some  way  connected  with  the  settlement  of  the  country;  and  that,  as  the 
population  increases,  the  amount  of  moisture  will  increase. 

It  may  be  objected  that  the  population  bears  so  small  a  proportion  to 
the  extent  of  the  country,  that  it  is  unreasonable  to  suppose  it  could 
have  any  influence  on  the  climatic  conditions.  I  admit  the  force  of  the 
objection,  but  at  the  same  time  the  facts  standout  too  boldly  and  clearly 
to  be  passed  over,  and  the  coincidence  is  so  striking,  that,  until  the  pecu- 
liar conditions  surrounding  the  matter  have  been  carefully  studied,  the 
objection  ought  not  to  be  pressed.  That  there'  are  peculiar  conditions 
connected  with  the  section  of  country  under  consideration,  cannot  be 
denied.  Hence  to  know  the  effect  the  introduction  of  an  active  popu- 
lation will  have  upon  the  hygrometric  conditions  of  this  country,  these 
peculiarities  must  be  carefully  studied.  I  believe  that  the  great  problem 
of  settling  the  plains,  if  ever  solved,  must  be  done  by  commencing  with 
the  eastern  slope  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  range  and  gradually  moving 
eastward.  This  is  the  plan  which  nature  herself  has  pointed  out.  The 
perpetual  snows  of  the  great  central  axis  are  the  sources  of  the  various 
streams  which  rush  down  upon  the  margin  of  these  plains,  but  chiefly 
sink  in  their  effort  to  cross  it.  Let  the  population  gather  around  the 
points  where  these  burst  from  the  mountains,  and  as  it  increases  push- 
ing out  on  the  plains  eastward,  and  I  believe  the  supply  of  water  will 
accompany  it. 

If  this  theory  is  correct  it  is  worthy  the  attention  not  only  of  the 
scientist  but  of  the  citizens  and  authorities  of  the  Territory,  and  also  of 
the  national  government.  A  railroad  line  running  along  this  eastern 
slope  north  and  south  would  doubtless  give  an  impetus  to  the  settle- 
ment of  this  part  of  the  Territory  exceeding  all  that  the  lines  crossing  it 
at  limited  points  (though  necessary)  can  possibly  do.  It  would  set  the 
great  power  in  motion  which,  moving  onward,  would  ultimately  bring 
into  use  that  vast  body  of  land  which  by  common  consent  has  been  con- 
signed to  perpetual  inutility. 

Such  a  theory  may,  and  doubtless  will  by  some,  be  considered  chi- 
merical, but  before  it  is  condemned  some  effort  to  confirm  or  refute  the 
testimony  given  ought  to  be  made.  And  I  volunteer  the  suggestion 
that  it  would  be  well  for  the  government  to  make  a  small  appropriation 


142  SURVEY    OF   COLORADO   AND  NEW  MEXICO. 

with  which  the  Commissioner  of  Agriculture  could  send  out  an  agent  to 
investigate  this  matter  more  thoroughly.  Even  should  a  more  thorough 
examination  overturn  and  reverse  the  testimony  I  have  adduced,  his 
labor  need  not  be  lost,  as  he  could,  while  proceeding  with  this,  gather  a 
host  of  facts  in  regard  to  the  agricultural  capacity  of  our  Territories, 
which  would  be  of  great  value  to  the  stream  of  emigrants  pressing  west- 
ward from  the  States. 

I  am  aware  the  present  season  has  been  an  extraordinarily  wet  one ; 
but  I  have  carefully  endeavored  to  prevent  its  leading  me  astray,  always 
extending  my  inquiries  to  a  series  of  years,  and  calling  attention  to  the 
unusual  amount  of  rain  this  year,  that  it  might  not  unduly  warp  the  in- 
formation received. 

The  excess  of  rain  during  this  season  I  find  has  been  felt  most  sensi- 
bly north  of  South  Platte  and  between  the  Eaton  Mountains  and  Las 
Vegas.  In  the  latter  section  there  are  some  creek  valleys  where  the 
rain  last  season  was  so  excessive  as  to  injure  the  crops,  as,  for  instance, 
the  Kayada.  And  the  present  year,  crops  in  many  valleys  not  furnish- 
ing water  for  irrigation  have  been  and  are  maturing  finely,  as  the 
beautiful  one  in  which  Fort  Union  is  situated,  which  is  as  fresh  and 
green  as  the  banks  of  the  Susquehanna. 

Hail-storms  are  of  not  unfrequent  occurrence  during  the  summer,  and 
sometimes  do  considerable  injury  to  the  growing  crops.  I  have  frequently, 
during  our  passage  through  the  country,  noticed  fields  of  corn  torn  into 
shreds.  But,  as  a  matter  of  course,  these  storms  are  always  quite 
limited  in  their  extent. 

POPULATION. 

Colorado  is  pre-eminently  a  mining  country ;  its  mineral  wealth  having 
recently  brought  within  its  bounds  most  of  its  present  population. 
Eagerly  searching  after  the  metallic  riches  which  lie  buried  in  its  rugged 
mountains,  but  little  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  cultivation  of  the 
soil.  Therefore  the  data  from  which  to  draw  conclusions,  in  regard  to 
the  adaptation  of  its  soil  and  climate  to  the  growth  of  any  particular 
cereal  or  fruit,  are  very  meager.  Yet  enough  is  known  to  show  that,  by 
proper  cultivation,  this  Territory  will  produce  as  fine  and  as  abundant 
crops  of  wheat  and  oats  as  the  most  favored  section  of  the  Union ;  and 
that  the  western  border  of  what  was  once  designated  "  The  Great 
American  Desert "  will,  at  no  very  distant  day,  present  its  broad  fields 
of  golden  grain.  This  is  no  wild  fancy  of  the  brain,  but  the  inevitable 
result  of  the  march  of  events  now  rapidly  moving  onward.  That  the 
high  anticipations  of  the  most  sanguine  will  be  fully  realized  I  do  not 
claim,  but  the  derogatory  reports  of  disappointed  fortune-seekers  will, 
ere  long,  be  disproved  by  a  multitude  of  experiments. 

At  this  time  not  more  than  one-fifth  or,  as  some  contend,  one-eight  of 
the  population  of  the  Territory  are  actually  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits, the  great  portion  being  in  some  way  connected  with  the  mining 
interests  or  business  arising  out  of  them.  But  the  one  must  draw  the 
other — those  who  mine  must  eat — and  the  heavy  expense  of  bringing 
food  from  the  States  is  working  out  its  own  cure.  The  necessity  for 
moving  forward  the  agricultural  interests  of  the  country  are  being  felt 
and  acted  on.  A  territorial  fair  has  been  in  operation  for  a  few  years, 
and  is  exciting  considerable  interest  among  all  classes  of  citizens. 
Even  while  I  am  writing  this  portion  of  my  report  the  annual  fair  is  in 
progress  at  Denver,  which,  I  very  much  regret,  1  have  been  unable  to 
attend,  but  I  will  endeavor  to  ascertain  all  of  general  interest  connected 
therewith. 


SURVEY  OF  COLORADO  AND  NEW  MEXICO.        143 
CEREALS. 

Of  the  cereals,  wheat,  oats,  barley,  and  corn,  grow  readily  and  pro- 
duce very  good  crops,  when  properly  cultivated  and  irrigated. 

Wheat  grows  well  throughout  the  length  of  the  Territory,  north  and 
south,  and  even  as  far  south  as  Bernalillo,  in  New  Mexico.  So  far  as  I 
have  seen,  and  can  ascertain,  the  following  portions  of  these  territories 
are  the  best  wheat-producing  sections,  viz :  the  creek  valleys  north  of 
South  Platte ;  the  South  Platte  and  Arkansas  valleys  in  Colorado ;  and 
in  New  Mexico,  the  Moro  and  Taos  valleys,  and  the  south  end  of  San 
Luis  Park.  Besides  these,  there  are,  as  a  matter  of  course,  valleys  which 
will  produce  as  fine  wheat  as  those  named,  but  these  are  the  most  ex- 
tensive. The  Platte  Valley  alone  can  supply,  if  made  to  yield  all  it  is 
capable  of  yielding,  the  whole  of  Colorado  with  all  the  wheat  necessary 
for  her  present  population.  And  I  am  informed  by  Colonel  Charles 
McClure,  of  Santa  Fe,  that  the  Taos  Valley  can  be  made  to  produce 
sufficient  wheat  to  supply  the  entire  demand  of  New  Mexico.  Until  a 
better  method  of  cultivation  is  introduced  than  the  rude  plan  of  the 
Mexican  population,  the  capacity  of  the  latter  Territory  will  not  be 
known.  But,  as  I  design  considering  the  agriculture  of  the  other  sec- 
tions of  Colorado  and  New  Mexico  separately,  I  will  confine  myself  to 
those  portions  of  the  former  Territory  now  under  consideration. 

With  the  exception  of  two  or  three  fields,  spring  wheat  is  the  only 
kind  raised.  But  this  is  not  §o  much  because  winter  wheat  fails  as  it 
is  owing  to  the  difficulty  of  preparing  the  ground  in  the  fall  for  sowing 
winter  wheat,  the  ground  being  so  dry  and  hard  that  it  cannot  be 
plowed.  And  if  an  attempt  is  made  to  soften  it  by  irrigation,  the  ex- 
perimenter soon  learns  that  while  one  portion  of  his  ground  is  scarcely 
moistened  below  the  surface,  the  other  portion  is  a  mass  of  soft  mud. 
But  at  any  point  from  Clear  Creek  south,  where  sufficient  rain  happens 
to  fall  at  the  right  season  to  moisten  the  ground,  winter  wheat  sown 
produces  a  fine  yield,  and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  ripens  much  earlier 
than  the  spring  wheat. 

The  usual  time  of  sowing  is  March  and  April,  though  sometimes  farm- 
ers, even  as  far  north  as  the  Platte  Valley,  succeed  in  getting  their  wheat 
in  during  the  month  of  February,  yet  the  greater  portion  is  sown  in 
April.  Singular  as  it  may  appear,  when  we  notice  the  difference  in  lati- 
tude between  Cache  a  la  Poudre  and  Santa  Fe,  yet  it  is  a  fact  that  the 
harvest  season  comes  on  later  in  the  vicinity  of  Los  Vegas,  Sante  Fe, 
Taos,  and  San  Luis  Park,  than  it  does  in  the  northern  section  of  Colo- 
rado. During  the  present  season,  I  see  from  my  notes  taken  as  we 
passed  through  the  country,  that  wheat  was  cut  in  the  vicinity  of  Den- 
ver between  the  25th  of  July  and  10th  of  August,  and  at  Cache  a  la 
Poudre  a  few  days  later,  while  at  Los  Vegas  harvest  came  on  the 
latter  part  of  August,  and  in  the  Taos  Valley  it  was  as  late  as  the  18th 
of  September,  and  in  San  Luis  Park  some  wheat  is  yet  standing,  (Sep- 
tember 23,)  although  the  frosts  set  in  as  early  as  the  12th  of  this  month. 
I  am  unable,  at  present,  fully  to  account  for  this,  but  suppose  it  is  chiefly 
attributable  to  the  cold  winds  from  the  surrounding  mountains  and  the 
cold  nights.  The  average  harvest  time,  in  the  sections  of  Colorado  under 
consideration,  may  be  set  down  about  the  10th  of  August. 

The  amount  grown  per  acre  often  reaches  forty  and  fifty  bushels,  and 
there  are  some  well-attested  instances  where  the  yield  has  been  as  much 
as  seventy  bushels.  Mr.  W.  E.  Thomas,  associate  editor  of  the  Kocky 
Mountain  News,  who  made,  during  the  harvest  of  1868,  an  extended 
examination  of  the  crops  in  most  of  the  valleys  of  eastern  Colorado,  es- 


144  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO    AND    NEW   MEXICO. 

timates  the  average  yield  at  twenty-eight  bushels  per  acre.  In  this  es- 
timate, the  absolute  return  when  measured  is  the  criterion,  no  allowance 
being  made  for  bad  culture,  losses,  &c.  From  a  careful  examination  of 
his  iigures,  and  his  method  of  obtaining  the  data  upon  which  they  are 
founded,  as  well  as  from  the  personal  inquiries  I  have  made  while  pass- 
ing through  the  territory,  I  am  satisfied  he  does  not  exceed  the  true 
average,  but  rather  falls  below  it.  Where  proper  care  is  given  to  this 
cereal,  and  it  reaches  maturity  without  serious  damage  from  the  destruc- 
tive grasshopper,  or  other  agency,  a  yield  of  thirty-five  bushels  per  acre 
may  be  expected. 

From  his  report  for  that  year,  which  has  already  been  forwarded  to 
the  Commissioner  of  Agriculture,  in  connection  with  a  short  report  on 
the  agriculture  of  the  northern  section  of  Colorado,  it  appears  that  the 
wheat  returns  from  the  various  valleys  of  Eastern  Colorado  foot  up  (in- 
cluding estimates  of  the  valleys  omitted)  nearly  thirty-five  thousand 
bushels.  At  an  average  of  twenty-eight  bushels,  this  shows  that  about 
twelve  thousand  five  hundred  acres  were  sown  in  wheat  in  1868.  If  any 
statistics  for  1869  are  brought  out  by  the  present  fair,  I  will  try  to  ob- 
tain them  in  time  to  append  them  to  this  report.  Most  of  this  wheat 
has  been  grown  on  the  creek  bottoms,  yet  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  the 
ridges,  or  uplands,  within  reach  of  irrigation,  will  yield  as  heavy  crops 
as  the  bottoms,  and,  as  shown  by  experience  as  well  as  theory,  would 
ripen  some  eight  or  ten  days  earlier. 

All  the  varieties  which  have  been  tried  aj)pear  to  grow  well  and  to 
bring  out  their  several  peculiarities.  But  those  chiefly  sown  are  the 
Chile,  Siberian,  White  Sonora,  Blue  Stem,  Canada  Club,  and  Egyptian  or 
Seven-head.  The  White  Sonora  is  most  prized  on  account  of  the  beau- 
tiful white  flour  it  makes,  and  its  heavy  yield,  though  it  does  not  weigh 
as  much  to  the  bushel  as  some  other  varieties.  In  New  Mexico,  the 
Mexicans  have  but  two  varieties,  the  "  areno  bianco "  or  white  wheat, 
and  " areno  nigra"  or  black  wheat;  the  white  wheat  corresponding 
very  nearly  with  the  White  Sonora.  The  measured  bushel  of  Colorado 
wheat,  if  well  cleaned,  will  weigh  from  sixty-two  to  sixty-four  pounds  as 
an  average.  But  in  comparing  this  wheat  with  that  of  the  States,  it 
must  be  remembered  that  the  grain  is  perfectly  dry,  having  been  raised 
by  irrigation,  and  as  a  matter  of  course  having  received  no  moisture  on 
the  ear.  In  this  respect  it  corresponds  with  the  California  wheat,  re- 
quiring to  be  moistened  before  grinding.  Therefore  a  given  bulk  or 
weight  of  this  wheat  will  yield  more  flour  than  the  same  bulk  or  weight 
of  wheat  from  the  States. 

I  think  I  am  justified  in  saying  that  no  part  of  the  Union  can  pro- 
duce better  flour  than  Eastern  Colorado,  in  respect  to  its  clear,  pearly 
whiteness,  richness  in  gluten,  and  ease  with  which  it  is  converted  into 
bread  j  and,  like  the  flour  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  it  will  doubtless  bear 
transportation  to  any  part  of  the  world  without  damage  from  climatic 
influences. 

As  the  expedition  happened  to  pass  through  the  Territory  during 
harvest,  I  had  a  very  good  opportunity  of  comparing  the  information  I 
had  received  with  the  appearance  of  the  wheat  crop  of  the  present  year, 
from  which  I  am  satisfied  the  statements  I  have  received  are  not  exag- 
gerated. 

The  wheat  crop,  so  far  as  I  have  seen  it,  is  very  good,  and  I  suppose 
will  be  one  of  the  heaviest  ever  known  in  the  Territory,  and  this  is  also 
true  of  the  part  of  New  Mexico  through  which  we  passed. 

Although  irrigation  has  some  advantages,  as  that  of  removing  fear  of 
drought,  yet  it  also  has  its  disadvantages,  one  of  which  is,  that  it  does 


SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND  NEW  MEXICO.  145 

not  cause  wheat  and  oats  to  ripen  evenly  in  the  same  field.  I  have  fre- 
quently noticed  fields  of  these  cereals  where  some  spots  were  fully  ripe, 
while  others  were  yet  quite  green.  But  as  the  grains  do  not  appear  to 
shell  out  as  easily  here  as  in  the  States,  this  does  not  cause  the  same 
difficulty  here  as  it  would  there. 

In  order  to  give  some  idea  of  the  time  of  harvesting  wheat  through- 
out the  section  over  which  the  expedition  passed,  I  will  give  from  my 
notes  the  condition  of  the  crop  at  several  points,  with  the  dates  at  which 
we  passed  those  points. 

July  2.  Laporte,  on  Cache  a  la  Poudre. — Wheat  in  bloom.  Harvesting 
generally  takes  place  here  about  the  1st  to  10th  of  August. 

July  1  to  15.  Fisher's  Ranch,  on  Clear  Creek,  four  miles  from  Denver. — 
Along  the  valley  of  this  creek  and  that  portion  of  Platte  Valley  in  the 
vicinity,  the  farmers  are  cutting  wheat,  though  the  fields  appear  to  be 
ripening  very  unevenly.  Crops  excellent  in  appearance. 

August  6.  South  bank  of  Platte,  near  the  mouth  of  Plum  Creek. — Harvest 
just  ended ;  standing  shocks  indicate  a  very  heavy  yield. 

August  8.  On  the  north  slope  of  the  Divide  near  West  Plum  Creek. — 
Harvest  nearly  closed ;  some  wheat  and  oats  yet  standing. 

August  9  to  13.  Colorado  City.. — The  farmers  in  the  vicinity  of  this 
place  in  the  midst  of  the  wheat  and  oat  harvest,  both  these  cereals  ap- 
pearing to  ripen  simultaneously  here. 

August  16.  On  the  banks  of  Arkansas,  five  miles  south  of  Canon  City. — 
Wheat  harvest  along  the  banks  of  this  stream  appears  to  have  closed 
at  least  two  weeks  past,  the  weeds  almost  hiding  the  stubble. 

August  17.  A  few  miles  icest  of  the  Arkansas  River,  behind  the  first  high 
ridge. — Saw  the  farmers  cutting  wheat. 

August  21  to  23.  Trinidad. — Wheat  harvest  in  progress. 

August  24.  Richard  Wooton's,  on  Raton  Mountains. — Farmers  cutting 
wheat. 

Arigust  25.  Rayada,  New  Mexico. — Wheat  harvest  is  over,  having  closed 
about  a  week  previous  to  our  arrival.  - 

September  2  to  5.  Las  Vegas. — Wheat  harvest  in  progress. 

September  17  and  18.  Taos. — Wheat  harvest  in  progress  in  this  valley. 

September  21.  San  Luis,  on  the  Rio  Culebra,  Colorado. — Wheat  not  all 
cut. 

This  record  presents  the  strange  fact  that  at  the  southern  extremity 
of  our  route,  the  harvest  season  conies  in  later  than  at  the  north 
part  of  Colorado.  But  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  this  route  was 
limited  to  a  narrow  line  along  the  immediate  base  of  the  mountains ;  a 
similar  record  of  a  line  further  east  might  present  a  very  different  state 
of  facts,  but  I  have  no  data  upon  which  to  found  a  comparison. 

Oats  are  grown  with  ease,  and  yield  abundantly  wherever  they  have 
been  tried  in  the  Territory;  in  £act  there  is  no  part  of  the  Union  where 
heavier  crops  of  oats  can  be  produced  than  here.  Instances  are  reported 
where  as  high  as  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  bushels  have  been  raised 
to  the  acre,  but  these  are  extreme  cases.  I  have  ascertained  quite  a 
number  of  instances  where  the  yield  reached  from  forty-eight  to  fifty- 
five  bushels ;  and  these  not  little  garden  patches  which  received  extra- 
care  to  report  to  fairs  and  societies,  but  crops  taken  from  extensive 
farms  under  ordinary  culture :  in  onjs  instance  from  an  aggregate  of 
7,000  bushels,  in  another  5,000  bushels,  actual  measurement.  "Volun- 
teer" crops  will  come  up  year  after  year  from  the  seed  scattered  during 
the  previous  harvest. 

The  statistics  gathered  by  Mr.  Thomas  give  an  average  of  thirty-five 
bushels  for  1868.  The  aggregate  amount  of  this  cereal  raised  in  the 
10  as 


146  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO. 

Territory  for  that  year  exceeded  that  of  wheat,  but  from  my  observa- 
tions I  am  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  for  1869  the  wheat  crop  will  be 
the  larger  of  the  two. 

The  soil  and  climate  of  Eastern  Colorado  seem  to  be  well  adapted  to 
the  growth  of  barley,  which,  so  far  as  it  has  been  tried,  yields  a  bounti- 
ful return  for  the  labor  bestowed  upon  it.  But  the  demand  has  not  been 
sufficient  to  induce  the  farmers  to  grow  it  extensively. 

In  regard  to  rye  my  information  is  defective,  but  from  all  the  infor- 
mation I  could  gather  in  regard  to  it,  I  do  not  think  it  yields  as  good 
crops  as  the  other  cereals  named.  I  have  seen  but  very  few  fields  dur- 
ing the  course  of  our  journey  this  season,  and  even  these  presented  an 
inferior  appearance. 

I  find,  since  I  have  made  a  more  thorough  examination  of  the  corn 
crops  south  of  Platte  Valley,  that  I  was  somewhat  mistaken  in  the 
opinion  I  expressed  in  the  report  of  the  northern  section  of  Colorado, 
forwarded  through  General  J.  A.  Logan  to  the  Commissioner  of  Agricul- 
ture. I  there  advanced  the  opinion  that  the  statistics  ot  the  southern 
portion  of  the  Territory  would  show  a  considerably  larger  yield  than  the 
northern  section,  but  actual  examination  has  shown  me  that  the  portion 
over  which  our  expedition  passed  possesses  few  if  any  advantages  as  a 
corn-growing  region,  over  the  section  north  of  the  South  Platte.  From 
the  Cache  a  la  Poudre  to  Santa  Fe  I  found,  with  very  few  exceptions, 
but  one  variety,  the  Mexican,  presenting  in  the  field  a  very  great  simi- 
larity. Although  moderate  crops  can  be  produced  in  almost  every  tilla- 
ble portion  of  Eastern  Colorado,  yet  I  must  admit  that  it  falls  far  behind 
the  Mississippi  Valley  as  a  corn -producing  section.  Mr.  Thomas  gives 
the  average  yield  as  twenty-five  bushels,  and,  contrary  to  my  first  im- 
pression, I  now  think  this  estimate  is  very  near  correct.  The  best  fields 
I  saw  in  the  course  of  our  journey  were  on  the  Arkansas,  a  short  dis- 
tance below  Canon  City,  and  near  a  little  village  a  short  distance  north 
of  Santa  Fe,  named  Santa  Cruz.  But  even  these  I  do  not  think  would 
yield  more  than  thirty  or  thirty-five  bushels  to  the  acre ;  possibly  they 
may  reach  forty  as  the  extreme.  I  know  it  is  contended  by  some  that 
the  valley  of  the  Platte  can  produce  as  heavy  crops  as  the  States;  but  if 
this  has  ever  been  done,  the  instances  are  rare  and  cannot  be  relied  upon 
in  fixing  a  general  average.  And  this  corn  is,  when  produced,  of  an  infe- 
rior quality. 

I  have  no  desire  to  underrate  the  agricultural  capacity  of  the  Terri- 
tory in  the  least  particular,  but  must  state  my  firm  convictions  reached 
under  the  most  favorable  circumstances. 

It  may  be  that  by  careful  experiments  some  varieties  may  be  found 
which  will  prove  adapted  to  the  soil  and  climate,  but  I  think  there  are 
climatic  obstacles  in  the  way  of  growing  this  cereal  which  cannot  be 
overcome.  But  it  should  be  remembered  these  remarks  apply  only  to 
the  sections  lying  along  the  eastern  base  of  the  Kocky  Mountain  Range. 
In  this  part  of  the  Territory  and  in  San  Luis  Park  the  nights  are  very 
cold  even  in  the  warmest  part  of  the  season,  and  this,  doubtless,  retards 
the  growth.  Besides  this,  the  frosts  set  in  early  and  prevent  those 
varieties  from  maturing  which  require  a  greater  length  of  time  to  com- 
plete their  growth. 

But,  as  before  intimated,  there,  are  some  facts  connected  with  the 
maturing  of  cereal  crops  in  this  country  which  cannot  be  satisfactorily 
explained  until  the  climatology  has  been  more  thoroughly  studied.  Per- 
haps when  the  botany  and  topography  have  been  more  thoroughly  worked 
up,  it  may  aid  in  explaining  these  anomalies,  for  such  they  certainly 
are. 


SURVEY  OF  COLORADO  AND  NEW  MEXICO.       147 
VEGETABLES  AND  FRUITS. 

Irish  potatoes  seein  to  be  perfectly  "at  home"  in  Colorado,  growing 
readily  and  abundantly,  except  in  the  extreme  southern  portion,  and 
even  here,  until  we  pass  the  line  into  New  Mexico,  quite  good  crops  are 
raised.  Not  only  does  this  tuber  grow  well  in  the  valleys  east  of  the 
mountain  range,  but  even  far  up  in  the  narrow  denies  nine  and  ten 
thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  wherever  space  and  soil  can  be 
found,  they  yield  quite  bountiful  returns  to  the  labor  bestowed  upon 
them.  The  northern  section,  from  Box  Elder  to  the  South  Platte  Valley, 
I  think  is  decidedly  the  best  potato  region  west  of  the  Mississippi  and 
east  of  California ;  not  only  in  regard  to  the  amount  of  the  crop  raised, 
but  also  in  respect  to  the  quality  of  the  tuber. 

The  first  new  potatoes  we  met  with  large  enough  to  eat  were  at  South 
Boulder,  July  6.  Even  at  this  early  date  in  the  season  they  were  of  quite 
good  size,  rich  and  mealy.  Their  rapid  growth  in  very  favorable  spots 
sometimes  causes  a  defect,  which  is  also  occasionally  seen  in  the  Western 
States — a  vacant  space  in  the  center,  lined  with  a  dark  internal  skin. 

No  finer  region  for  keeping  this  vegetable  through  the  season  can  be 
found  than  Colorado ;  its  pure,  dry  atmosphere  renders  it  easy  to  keep 
them  perfectly  sound  the  entire  year;  so  true  is  this,  where  proper 
care  has  been  taken,  that  when  cooked  it  is  often  impossible  to  distin- 
guish the  old  crop  from  the  new. 

Some  of  the  finest  patches  I  saw  growing  were  along  the  margin  of 
Clear  Creek,  between  Denver  and  Golden  City,  where  the  stream  bursts 
its  way  through  the  lofty  mesas  which  here  flank  the  mountain  range. 

Onions  grow  finely,  except  in  the  extreme  northern  part  of  the  Terri- 
tory. The  Mexican  variety,  which  is  found  south  of  the  Divide,  grows 
to  a  very  large  size,  one  having  been  measured  by  Mrs  Colonel  Hart,  at 
Fort  Garland,  whose  circumference  was  seventeen  and  a  half  inches ; 
very  often  they  are  found  weighing  two  and  three  pounds. 

As  we  approach  New  Mexico,  going  south,  they  have  the  finest  and 
mildest  flavor  of  any  onions  I  have  ever  tasted,  which  seems  to  be  pecu- 
liar to  the  climate  and  soil  of  this  country,  for  when  they  are  taken  from 
here  and  planted  in  other  sections,  although  they  may  grow  well,  they  ap- 
pear to  lose  this  peculiar  flavor.  I  was  informed  at  Las  Vegas  that  both 
seed  and  onions  had  been  sent  to  the  States,  and  that,  in  every  case,  such 
had  been  the  result;  hence,  it  is  supposed  that  this  delicious  flavor  is 
peculiar  to  this  country. 

Turnips  and  cabbages  also  grow  quite  well  throughout  the  arable  por- 
tion of  the  Territory,  and  especially  in  the  northern  section.  Instances 
have  frequently  occurred  where  they  have  grown  to  almost  fabulous  size. 
The  former  grows  well  and  produces  quite  abundant  crops  even  in  the 
little  valleys  far  up  in  the  mountains. 

Beans  are  raised  in  considerable  quantities  in  the  southern  portion  of 
the  Territory,  and  are  much  used.  But  they  are  subject  to  the  attack 
of  a  small  insect,  probably  a  species  of  Haltica,  which  often  does  much 
injury  to  the  crop.  Although  I  did  not  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
this  insect,  yet  I  saw  some  garden  patches  in  Santa  Fe  which  had  been 
literally  riddled  by  it. 

In  regard  to  fruits,  I  am  not  able  to  speak  positively,  as  sufficient  time 
has  not  elapsed  since  attention  has  been  turned  to  them  to  complete  the 
experiments  which  are  being  made.  But  from  all  the  indications  attend- 
ing these  experiments  there  is  good  reason  to  believe  from  Platte  Valley 
south  all  the  hardier,  and  perhaps  other  fruits,  may  be  grown  success- 
fully. Quite  a  number  of  orchards  have  been  planted  in  Platte  Valley 


148  SURVEY   OF   COLORADO   AND  NEW  MEXICO. 

and  the  valley  of  Cherry  Creek,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Divide ;  also, 
some  in  the  valley  of  the  Upper  Arkansas.  The  chief  trouble  in  the 
northern  portion  appears  to  be  that  the  young  trees  are  winter-killed. 
But,  doubtless,  this  may  be  prevented  by  mulching,  which  does  not  ap- 
pear to  have  been  properly  attended  to.  On  the  Arkansas,  a  short  dis- 
tance below  Canon  City,  I  saw  a  young  orchard,  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  J. 
T.  Smith,  where  the  trees  were  growing  finely.  Among  them  I  saw 
some  peach  trees  which  have  commenced  bearing  this  season,  the  fourth 
from  the  seed.  The  apple  trees  are  growing  finely,  and  so  far,  have  had 
no  protection  during  the  winter.  There  are  quite  a  number  of  varie- 
ties, all  appearing  to  be  doing  equally  well.  The  pear  trees,  also,  are 
in  excellent  condition,  but  the  dwarfs  appear  to  be  growing  the  same  as 
the  standards. 

Here  I  also  saw  watermelons,  citrons,  &c.,  growing  to  a  good  size. 

I  was  informed  by  Mr.  Smith  that  he  had  transplanted  to  his  garden 
from  the  mountains  the  native  currants,  gooseberries,  and  raspberries, 
but  that  the  experiment  proved  a  failure,  the  bushes  not  growing  well 
and  bearing  no  fruit.  These  native  varieties  appear  to  be  adapted  only 
to  the  mountains.  It  is  highly  probable  that  if  they  were  taken  east 
and  planted  in  the  mountains  the  experiment  would  prove  a  success. 

The  wild  strawberries  found  in  the  mountains  of  this  Territory,  though 
small,  have  the  most  delicious  flavor  of  any  that  I  ever  tasted ;  they  ripen 
about  the  latter  part  of  July. 

Timber  for  building,  fencing  and  other  purposes  is  a  great  desider- 
atum in  many  portions  of  the  country.  Yet  considerable  quantities  of 
pine  are  found  on  the  hills  which  occasionally  traverse  the  plains,  and 
on  the  foot-hills  which  flank  the  mountains. 

Further  up  in  the  mountains  an  abundance  of  this  timber  of  a  very 
good  size  and  quality  can  be  obtained  to  supply  the  present  need.  And 
as  in  these  situations  water-power  is  always  close  at  hand,  it  can  readily 
be  converted  into  lumber  by  saw-mills  at  a  comparatively  moderate 
cost.  Although  there  are  some  scrubby  species  of  oak  found  in  the 
limits  of  the  Territory,  yet  in  the  eastern  part  there  is  none  of  sufficient 
size  to  be  of  use  for  domestic  purposes.  In  our  journey  southward  the 
first  oak  I  observed  was  during  our  ascent  of  the  northern  slope  of  the 
Divide.  Along  the  larger  creeks  moderate  quantities  of  cotton  wood  of 
medium  size  are  found.  Sometimes  this  is  seen  as  much  as  two  feet 
through,  but  as  a  general  thing  it  is  of  rather  small  size. 

While  Colorado  possesses  all  the  iron  ore  and  coal  necessary  for  the 
purposes  for  which  these  may  be  used,  and  sufficient  soft  timber  to  sup- 
ply the  mountain  districts  and  sections  under  consideration,  yet  there 
is  an  entire  lack  of  the  harder  wood  necessary  in  the  manufacture  of 
agricultural  and  other  implements.  This,  unless  it  can  be  grown,  must 
always  be  supplied  from  other  sections. 

One  advantage  this  Territory  possesse  sover  many  other  portions  of 
the  Union  is  the  facility  with  which  the  most  excellent  roads  can  be 
made.  The  natural  soil  in  the  streets  of  Denver  forms  a  better  pave- 
ment to-day  than  any  of  the  artificial  pavements  of  the  cities  of  the 
Eastern  States.  Being  a  coarse  silicious  sand  or  fine  gravel  it  forms  a 
road  equal  to  the  best  macadamized.  In  some  of  the  finer  sandy  bottoms 
in  the  creeks  in  the  extreme  southern  section  sometimes  the  roads 
become  heavy.  Even  in  the  mountain  districts  I  have  been  astonished 
at  the  easy  ascent  of  the  passes,  through  the  most  rugged-looking  ridges. 
Along  the  Union  Pacific  railroad  as  far  up  as  Cheyenne  there  are  but 
very  few  cuts  and  none  of  any  considerable  depth.  And  on  the  road 
from  Denver  back  in  the  mountains  to  Georgetown  there  is  but  one 


SURVEY  OF  COLORADO  AND  NEW  MEXICO.       149 

steep  point,  and  even  at  this,  by  a  little  trouble  and  moderate  outlay, 
a  good  road  could  be  made  with  a  very  moderate  grade.  Along  the 
eastern  base  of  the  mountains  from  Cheyenne  to  Santa  Fe  there  is  not 
a  difficult  point  to  pass,  the  road  over  the  Divide  and  Eaton  Moun- 
tains being  no  more  difficult  than  ordinary  hills  in  the  Eastern  States. 
The  road  from  Santa  Fe  to  the  San  Luis  Valley  or  Park  is  very  rough 
and  difficult  for  wagons,  and  the  same  is  true  of  the  north  side  of  the  Pon- 
cho Pass,  but  with  these  two  exceptions  the  roads  to  and  from,  as  well 
as  through  the  San  Luis  and  South  Parks,  are  very  good  and  easily 
traveled  with  wagons.  And  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  desire  to  travel 
over  any  of  these  routes  and  camp  I  may  remark  that  water  is  to  be 
found  at  suitable  points  throughout  the  entire  length  of  the  Territory. 
At  a  few  points,  where  the  road  recedes  from  the  mountains,  difficulty 
may  be  experienced  in  obtaining  wood,  but  such  places  are  few,  and  proper 
precaution  during  the  day's  travel  to  secure  a  supply  will  prevent  all 
difficulty. 

IRRIGATION. 

With  a  very  few  exceptions  irrigation  is  necessary  throughout  Colorado 
and  New  Mexico.  There  are  some  points  on  the  slopes  of  the  Divide 
and  in  the  mountain  districts  where  the  moisture  afforded  by  rains  is 
sufficient  to  supply  the  crops ;  and,  as  I  have  heretofore  remarked,  for 
the  past  two  years,  at  some  other  points  irrigation  has  been  unnecessary, 
but,  as  a  rule,  it  is  necessary  throughout  Colorado,  and  in  making  up 
estimates  of  the  expense  of  farming  in  this  Territory  this  item  should 
always  be  counted. 

This  necessity  is  generally  classed  among  the  drawbacks  to  the 
agriculture  of  these  territories,  but  there  is  some  doubt  as  to  the 
correctness  of  this  conclusion,  for,  when  we  take  into  consideration  the 
fact  that  where  rain  is  depended  upon  there  are  frequently  great  losses 
incurred  because  of  dry  seasons,  the  question  arises,  "Is  the  loss  by 
drought  greater  or  less  than  the  cost  of  irrigation  ¥>  The  decision  of 
this  question  must  decide  the  point  as  to  whether  irrigation  is  really  a 
drawback  or  not.  That  it  is  inconvenient  and  imposes  a  hardship  upon 
the  farmer  of  limited  means,  at  the  opening  or  settling  of  his  farm,  is 
true.  But  when  his  primary  ditch  is  completed,  if  properly  made,  he 
may  feel  himself  forever  secure  from  loss  through  drought. 

As  heretofore  stated,  the  streams  of  eastern  Colorado,  north  of  the 
South  Platte,  which  run  from  the  mountains  into  the  latter  stream,  have 
a  rapid  fall,  varying  from  ten  to  fifty  feet  to  the  mile.  Consequently  it 
is  easy  to  turn  the  water  into  acequias  or  ditches,  and  requires  but  a 
short  run  to  carry  it  to  any  moderate  height. 

And  as  the  terraces  of  this  section  which  flank  the  creek  bottoms 
seldom  rise  higher  than  fifty  feet  above  the  creek  level,  generally  twenty- 
five  to  thirty,  they  can  be  irrigated  by  acequias  of  moderate  length ;  in 
fact,  I  am  satisfied  that  there  is  but  a  small  quantity  of  land  between 
Cache  a  la  Poudre  and  South  Platte  which  cannot  be  irrigated.  And 
when  these  terraces  have  been  irrigated  and  cultivated  for  a  few  years 
I  feel  confident  that  the  soil  on  them  will  prove  as  productive  as  that  of 
the  bottoms. 

I  understand  that  the  rule  for  the  fall  in  these  irrigating  ditches  is 
one-fourth  of  an  inch  to  the  rod,  and  that  this  carries  the  water  over 
the  soil  with  sufficient  rapidity  to  prevent  its  being  absorbed. 

After  crossing  the  Platte  southward  to  the  Divide  and  along  the 
Platte  valley,  ditching  is  much  more  expensive  than  in  the  northern 
section,  as  the  streams  have  much  less  fall,  and  the  soil  absorbs  the 
water  more  rapidly. 


150  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

Between  the  Divide  and  the  Eaton  Mountains  along  the  valleys  of  the 
Arkansas  and  its  branches,  the  lands  can  be  irrigated  with  moderate 
cost,  though* the  streams  are  not  so  rapid  as  those  in  the  northern 
section.  In  this  part  of  the  Territory,  as  well  as  immediately  north  of 
the  Divide,  the  land  between  the  streams  does  not  assume  such  regular 
terrace  forms  as  those  north  of  the  Platte. 

Ditching  at  present  is  generally  done  by  plowing  and  throwing  out 
the  dirt,  except  where  very  large  ones  are  required.  The  process  is 
also  often  facilitated  by  using  a  scraper.  But  doubtless  ditching  machines 
will  soon  be  introduced. 

The  largest  acequia  I  know  of  in  Colorado  is  near  Denver,  on  the 
south  side  of  Platte  River.  It  is  several  miles  in  length,  and  cost 
about  $14,000,  and  irrigates  quite  a  number  of  farms. 

The  cost,  when  estimated  by  the  number  of  acres  irrigated,  is  much 
lessened  by  several  farmers  uniting  and  making  one  large  ditch  suffi- 
cient to  supply  the  farms  of  all  entering  into  the  combination.  The 
smaller  side  ditches,  which  lead  off  to  the  various  fields,  are  made  with 
the  plow,  and  hence  the  cost  of  these  is  but  nominal. 

There  appears  to  have  been  but  little  improvement  made  in  this  part 
of  agriculture  for  centuries  past;  and,  in  fact,  it  is  susceptible  of  but 
little  improvement.  In  my  more  extended  report,  which  I  expect  to 
prepare  during  the  winter,  I  propose  to  take  up  this  subject  of  irriga- 
tion more  fully,  as  it  seems  to  hang  somewhat  as  an  incubus  over  west- 
ern agriculture,  at  least  in  the  minds  of  those  living  in  sections  sup- 
plied with  rain.  Yet  when  it  is  considered  in  that  broad  view  corre- 
sponding to  the  vast  extent  of  our  country,  it  will  be  seen  that  it  is  one 
item  in  the  series  of  variety  necessary  to  the  complete  prosperity  of 
the  nation — one  link  in  the  grand  chain  necessary  to  render  us  inde- 
pendent as  a  nation. 

One  advantage  of  irrigation,  which  will  occur  to  the  mind  of  any 
one,  is  that  the  crop  can  be  watered  whenever  it  is  needed.  But  at  the 
same  time  irrigation  has  some  disadvantages  which  are  not  apparent 
until  shown  by  experience.  One  of  these  is  that  the  crops  do  not  re- 
ceive exactly  equal  portions  of  water  throughout  the  same  field,  and, 
consequently,  do  not  ripen  evenly.  I  have  seen  fields  of  wheat  and 
oats  presenting  every  variety  of  condition  in  the  same  field,  from  quite 
green  to  very  ripe.  Every  farmer  will  at  once  perceive  the  difficulty 
arising  from  such  a  condition  as  this.  It  might  be  supposed  that  when 
the  fields  have  been  overflowed  for  some  days  with  water,  the  land,  after 
the  water  was  drawn  off,  would  assume  that  condition  termed  " baked  f 
but  nature  generally  furnishes  a  counterpoise  to  all  her  apparent  aber- 
ration; and,  following  this  rule,  she  has  here  suited  the  soil  to  the  cli- 
matic conditions,  and  hence  this  anticipated  state  does  not  follow  irri- 
gation. 

I  made  an  effort  to  ascertain  what  the  average  cost  of  ditching  is  to 
the  acre,  but  found  it  next  to  an  impossibility  to  do  this.  The  difference 
in  the  nature  of  the  ground  at  different  points,  the  uncertainty  in  regard 
to  the  price  of  labor,  the  difference  in  the  sizes  of  the  ditches,  would 
render  an  average,  if  it  could  be  obtained,  worthless. 

DRAWBACKS. 

As  the  want  of  water  has  already  been  somewhat  fully  considered,  I 
will  omit  it  here. 

The  scarcity  of  timber  for  building,  fuel,  fencing,  and  other  purposes, 
may  very  properly  be  classed  as  one  of  the  drawbacks  in  this  Terri- 


SURVEY    OF   COLORADO    AND   NEW   MEXICO.  151 

tory— one  which  very  soon  strikes  the  traveler  passing  through  the 
eastern  section.  And  this  applies  to  all  the  sections  into  which  1  have 
divided  the  country,  except  the  mountain  district. 

The  amount  of  cottonwood  and  box  elder  found  along  the  banks  of 
the  streams  is  quite  small,  consisting  generally  of  very  narrow  fringes 
along  the  immediate  borders  of  these  streams.  This  is  inferior  timber 
at  best,  and  can  afford  a  supply  but  for  a  short  time,  even  when  we 
take  into  consideration  the  fact  that  many  of  the  houses  are  built  of 
adobes.  The  mountains  are  generally  clothed  with  a  growth  of  pines, 
but  these  are  often  of  a  very  inferior  character,  especially  along  the  east- 
ern slope  nearest  the  arable  lands.  But  as  we  penetrate  further  into  the 
mountains,  these  are  of  a  better  quality,  and  saw-mills  are  being  erected 
in  the  interior  of  the  mountain  districts  which  at  present  are  furnishing 
a  supply  of  lumber  at  comparatively  moderate  prices,  as  water-power  is 
easily  obtained  along  the  little  creeks.  But  even  here,  notwithstanding 
the  repeated  assertions  to  the  contrary,  I  do  not  think  the  supply  inex- 
haustible. The  rapid  increase  of  the  mining  operations  and  population 
in  the  mining  sections,  which  are  in  the  heart  of  the  pine  regions,  is 
rapidly  consuming,  for  building  purposes,  fuel,  &c.,  the  pines  around 
these  points.  And  the  numerous  fires  which  occur  here,  and  sweep  up 
the  mountain  side  with  a  wild  fury,  like  that  of  a  burning  prairie,  are 
destroying  vast  quantities  of  this  timber.  Even  now  we  can  scarcely 
travel  a  single  mile  along  the  mountain  canons  where  we  dp  not  see  the 
slopes  on  either  side  marked  by  broad  strips  of  burnt  timber,  which 
appear  as  somber  spots  on  the  otherwise  beautiful  scenery. 

I  have  no  doubt  but  that  this  view  will  be  controverted ;  yet  when  we 
look  at  the  broad  expanse  of  untimbered  lands  which  sweeps  out  east- 
ward from  the  mountain  base,  and  compare  it  with  the  timbered  strip 
in  reach,  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  arrive  at  any  other  conclusion.  But, 
as  1  am  now  pressed  for  time,  I  will  reserve  the  discussion  of  this  sub- 
ject for  the  more  extended  report  I  desire  to  present  on  the  agriculture 
of  Colorado  and  New  Mexico.  Even  now,  sawed  lumber  has  frequently 
to  be  hauled  for  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  miles,  and  even  further; 
but  the  building  of  railroads  will  greatly  reduce  the  expense  of  trans- 
portation. 

I  bring  this  matter  forward  thus  prominently  ki  order,  if  possible,  to 
impress  upon  the  farmers  and  citizens  of  this  Territory  the  great  neces- 
sity of  commencing  at  an  early  day  the  work  of  planting  trees.  It  is 
certainly  one  of  deep  interest  to  them,  and  every  effort  should  be  made 
to  induce  not  only  farmers,  but  all  who  have  lands  and  lots,  to  com- 
mence this  important  work.  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  throughout  our 
journey  I  saw  but  few  houses  surrounded  by  growing  trees. 

In  regard  to  the  supply  of  fuel,  the  difficulty  of  supplying  this  want 
will  doubtless  be  met  when  the  various  coal  mines  are  opened,  and 
railroads  traverse  the  country.  But  the  supply  of  fencing  material,  at 
a  reasonable  rate,  is  not  so  easily  met.  To  avoid  expense  on  the  larger 
farms,  that  portion  intended  for  cultivation  is  generally  inclosed  under 
one  fence,  and  corrals  are  made  for  the  stock  which  is  in  use.  And  I 
have  noticed  some  cases  where  two  or  three  small  farmers  have  combined 
and  inclosed  their  farms  under  one  fence.  Around  Denver  wire  fences 
are  being  introduced,  and  will  probably  prove  cheaper  than  any  other 
kind,  unless  hedges  can  be  made.  If  this  latter  kind  can  be  made,  I 
think  they  will  prove  the  best  that  can  be  adopted,  not  only  for  the 
same  reasons  urged  in  their  favor  in  the  prairie  States,  but  also  because 
they  will  assist  in  increasing  the  amount  of  moisture,  and  in  drawing 
birds,  thereby  tending  to  decrease  the  grasshopper  pest. 


152  SURVEY    OF   COLORADO    AND    NEW    MEXICO. 

Another  serious  drawback  to  the  agriculture  of  Colorado,  as  ^ell  as 
other  portions  of  the  great  trans-Mississippi  plains,  is  the  destruction  of 
crops  by  the  migrating  grasshoppers.  During  some  years,  in  different  local- 
ities, these  insects  have  proved  very  destructive,  sometimes  sweeping  away 
in  a  few  days  the  result  of  the  hard  labor  of  the  farmer  during  an  entire 
season.  Yet  I  find,  after  a  somewhat  thorough  examination,  that  in  this 
Territory  although  occasionally  very  injurious,  yet  they  are  by  no  means 
so  destructive  as  has  been  represented.  And,  as  has  been  the  case  this 
season,  the  papers  of  this  western  country  often  imprudently  spread  false 
alarms.  This  arises  from  a  neglect  to  distinguish  the  ]arva3  of  the  migra- 
tory species  from  those  that  are  merely  local.  I  am  satisfied  that  there 
is  but  one  migratory  species — the  Caloptenum  spretum — which  appears  here 
in  any  considerable  numbers.  The  Oedipoda  coralipes  (Hald.)  is  found 
at  certain  points  in  limited  numbers,  but  I  do  not  think  it  ever  proves 
destructive  east  of  the  mountains. 

I  have  noticed  during  our  trip  the  former  species  at  various  points  as 
follows: 

On  our  arrival  at  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  June  17,  we  found  them  very 
abundant  in  the  complete  state,  so  much  so  that  the  lower  parts  of  the 
walls  of  the  hotel  at  which  we  stopped  were  literally  covered  black  with 
them,  and  the  hogs,  which  seemed  to  have  learned  the  art  of  catching 
them,  were  enjoying  a  rich  feast.  I  understood  they  had  been  moving 
for  something  over  a  week  previous  to  the  date  of  our  arrival. 

At  Omaha,  Nebraska,  the  18th  of  the  same  month,  I  saw  none  of  them. 
It  is  true  I  did  not  go  out  of  the  city  to  examine,  yet  I  think  if  they  had 
been  present  in  any  considerable  numbers  I  should  have  seen  them. 

During  our  stay  at  Cheyenne,  (from  21st  to  28th  June)  I  noticed  them 
in  considerable  numbers,  but  in  the  larva  state  and  scarcely  half  grown. 

At  Box  Elder  Creek,  and  Laporte,  on  the  Cache  a  la  Poudre,  I  saw  none, 
although  I  made  diligent  search  for  them ;  but  when  we  arrived  at  Big 
Thompson,  two  days  after,  (July  3,)  I  found  them  quite  abundant  in  the 
perfect  state.  From  here  to  Clear  Creek,  Denver,  but  few  were  seen.  At 
the  latter  place  (July  7  to  14)  I  observed  them  in  moderate  numbers,  just 
entering  the  perfect  state,  but  the  local  species  were  rather  numerous,  both 
in  individuals  and  species.  From  here  we  passed  westward  into  the  Mid- 
dle Park  (from  July  15  to  27)  and  all  along  the  mountain  valleys,  after  enter- 
ing the  first  range,  and  in  the  park  we  found  them  in  abundance  in  the 
perfect  state,  often  rising,  when  the  wind  was  prevailing,  in  large  swarms 
and  floating  before  the  wind  like  huge  flakes  of  snow.  I  traced  them  even 
up  into  the  very  midst  of  the  eternal  snows,  gathering  specimens  from 
the  cold  surface  5  and,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  even  above  the  snow,  on 
the  naked  summits  of  the  peaks,  I  saw  the  larvae  of  this  species  hopping 
about  almost  as  lively  as  those  on  the  plains. 

After  crossing  the  South  Platte,  going  south,  although  individuals 
were  occasionally  seen,  yet  at  no  place  during  the  remainder  of  the 
journey  were  they  seen  in  abundance. 

One  conclusion  to  be  drawn  from  the  foregoing  facts  is  that,  even 
within  the  limits  of  the  eastern  portion  of  the .  Territory,  there  are 
distinct  local  broods ;  for  while  they  were  abundant  and  active,  in  the 
perfect  state,  at  Big  Thompson,  July  3,  yet,  on  Clear  Creek,  about  a  week 
later,  they  were  undergoing  their  last  moulting,  and  between  these 
points  scarcely  any  were  found. 

Another  important  conclusion  which  I  think  we  may  draw  from 
these  facts  is,  that  the  mountain  canons  and  valleys  are  the  primary 
hives  from  which  these  vandal  hordes  issue  upon  their  destructive  mis- 
sion—important because  it  renders  the  problem  of  counteracting  them 


SURVEY    OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO.  153 

more  difficult  of  solution.  In  many  other  sections  where  this  pest  was 
met  at  the  introduction  of  population,  the  opening  of  farms,  and  bringing 
the  soil  under  cultivation,  &c.,  has  gradually  brought  the  destructive 
species  down  to  their  normal  condition.  But  here,  as  these  mountain 
canons  and  slopes  cannot  be  brought  under  cultivation,  this  counter- 
acting influence  can  never.be  brought  to  bear  upon  them.  Yet,  even  in 
this  case,  nature  has  not  left  this  evil  wholly  without  a  counterbalancing 
opposite.  While  she  has  made  the  mountain  valleys  and  sides  the  hive 
from  which  her  destroyers  swarm,  she  has  hid  within  the  bowels  of  these 
lofty  ranges  rich  mines  of  gold  and  silver,  to  attract  thither  an  active 
and  energetic  population.  Through  these  the  homes  of  this  insect  will 
be  disturbed,  and  the  primitive  broods  gradually  destroyed.  Hence 
while  the  mountains  send  down  the  evil,  they  contain  the  remedy.  And 
like  the  little  wave  made  by  the  pebble  dropped  in  the  lake,  which  swells 
in  proportion  as  it  recedes  until  it  dashes  against  the  shore,  so  it  is  with 
each  counteracting  effect  within  these  mountain  sections;  it  will  be  felt 
in  increasing  proportion  along  the  whole  line  of  their  migration. 

I  have  been  unable  to  ascertain  with  any  degree  of  certainty  the  dis- 
tance they  move  in  one  season.  I  am  aware  calculations  have  been 
made  on  this  point  from  data  obtained  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  plains. 
What  reliance  is  to  be  placed  upon  these  I  do  not  know. 

STOCK  RAISING. 

I  cannot  at  this  time  enter  upon  the  consideration  of  this  very  impor- 
tant branch  of  agriculture,  for  the  reason  that  I  have  not  as  yet  obtained 
all  the  data  necessary,  and  also,  because  I  prefer  to  defer  it  until  I  pre: 
sent  a  report  on  the  agriculture  of  New  Mexico. 

But  I  may  now  state  generally  that  these  Territories  possess  as  fine 
grazing  lands  as  any  to  be  found  in  the  west.  And  although  much  stock 
is  raised  here,  yet  the  amount  falls  far  behind .  what  it  should.  Many 
who  are  rushing  back  and  forth  from  point  to  point  along  the  Rocky 
Mountain  range,  seeking  for  rich  lodes,  would  probably  find  much  more 
gold  if  they  would  tarn  their  attention  to  stock-raising.  Not  only  do 
the  plains  afford  good  pasturage,  but  grass  of  most  excellent  quality 
clothes  many  of  the  mountain  slopes,  and  carpets  the  lofty  mesa  surfaces 
and  elevated  mountain  valleys.  On  the  top  of  the  Divide,  there  is  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  little  grassy  plains  I  ever  saw,  where  a  large  herd 
of  cattle  or  sheep  could  find  rich  pasturage. 

The  finest  butter  and  milk  I  ever  tasted  was  obtained  in  South  Park. 
So  delicious  was  the  milk  that  the  members  of  our  party  could  scarcely 
satisfy  themselves  with  it. 

There  are  abundant  openings  for  industrious  and  energetic  stock- 
raisers  to  make  money  following  their  occupation  in  this  country.  And 
for  the  benefit  of  such  as  feel  an  interest  in  this  matter,  I  herewith  give 
a  synopsis  of  the  laws  of  Colorado,  respecting  non-resident  stock-owners. 
Revised  Statutes  of  Colorado,  chapter  70. 

Section  1.  Non-residents  may  herd  stock  in  this  Territory  for  one  year 
by  payment  of  fifty  cents  for  each  animal  so  herded,  in  lieu  of  all  other 
taxes ;  on  sheep,  twenty  cents. 

Section  2.  Non-residents  desiring  to  herd  cattle  in  the  Territory,  must 
file  with  the  recorder  of  the  county  a  certificate  of  the  number  and 
description  of  such  cattle  in  the  following  form : 

TERRITORY  OF  COLORADO, County,  ss  : 

"  The  undersigned,  owner  (or  agent  of  the  owner,  as  the  case  may  le)  of 

11  G  S 


154  SURVEY    OF    COLORADO   AND   NEW   MEXICO. 

the  following  described  animals,  proposes  to  keep  and  herd  the  same  for 
grazing  purposes  within  the  county  aforesaid,  to  wit:  (describing  the 
number  of  animals  of  each  Jcind,  respectively,  with  brands,  if  any,}  from  the 
day  of ,  A.  D.  18 — ,  until  the day  of ,  A.  D. 

18—."    ' 

Section  5  prescribes  the  penalty  for  herding  without  filing  such  certifi- 
cate^ which  is  two  dollars  for  each  head  of  stock,  except  sheep,  and  one 
dollar  for  each  sheep. 

Section  9.  Non-residents  driving  stock  from  one  county  to  another  not 
to  incur  an  additional  tax. 

*  Section  10  forbids  the  importation  of  Texas  cattle. 

These  are  the  principal  sections  which  relate  to  the  herding  of  stock 
in  the  Territory. 

The*  following  is  a  synopsis  of  the  laws  of  the  Territory  relating  to 
irrigation.  Revised  Statutes,  chapter  45. 

Section  1.  Claim  owners  on  the  bank,  margin,  or  neighborhood  of 
any  stream,  entitled  to  use  the  water  for  irrigation. 

Section  2.  The  right  of  way  through  claims  of  adjoining  owners  for  the 
purpose  of  conveying  water  allowed. 

Section  3.  Extent  of  the  right  of  way  extends  only  to  ditch,  dike,  or 
cutting,  sufficient  for  the  purpose  required. 

Section  4.  Where  the  water  is  not  sufficient  to  supply  all,  the  probate 
judge  to  appoint  commissioners  to  app6rtion  it. 

Section  5.  If  the  right  of  way  is  refused  by  owner  of  lands  through 
which  the  ditch  runs,  it  may  be  condemned. 

Section  6.  Persons  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  stream  may  erect  wheel  or 
other  machine  for  raising  water ;  right  of  way  therefor  may  be  obtained. 

Section  7.  Ditch  owners  required  to  preserve  the  banks  of  their  ditches 
so  as  not  to  flood  or  injure  others. 

GENERAL  REMARKS. 

Although  unable  to  attend  the  territorial  fair  held  at  Denver  this 
year,  September  22  to  26,  yet,  since  my  return,  I  learn  that  it  was  well 
attended7  and  that  the  show  of  stock,  farm  products,  and  minerals  was 
the  largest  ever  presented  at  any  fair  held  in  the  Territory,  and  the 
interest  taken  greater  than  any  previous  season.  I  cannot  attempt  to 
give  a  list  of  articles  and  premiums,  but  may  be  excused  for  stating  that 
the  premium  on  turnips  was  awarded  to  W.  H.  Berry,  esq.,  of  Fairplay. 
I  mention  this  because  these  were  raised  on  the  highest  part  of  the  sur- 
face of  South  Park,  some  ten  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
almost  at  the  margin  of  eternal  snows.  I  have  procured  specimens  of 
these,  which  are  very  large,  though  inferior  to  those  that  received  the 
premium. 

The  crop  of  1869  is  larger  than  that  of  any  preceding  year,  and  is  esti- 
mated at  the  following  figures  :  Wheat,  675,000  bushels  ;  corn,  600,000 
bushels  j  oats  and  barley,  (nine-tenths  oats,)  550,000  bushels ;  potatoes 
and  other  vegetables,  350,000  bushels.  Which,  with  the  hay  and  dairy 
product,  will  have  a  market  value  of  not  less  than  three  and  one-half 
millions  of  dollars. 

In  conclusion,  we  may  confidently  assert  that  Colorado,  at  no  very  dis- 
tant day,  is  destined  to  be  one  of  the  chief  agricultural  sections  in  the 
Rocky  Mountain  regions,  yea,  we  may  say  the  most  important.  The 

*  This  section  is  by  no  means  strictly  observed  or  inforced. 


SURVEY    OF   COLORADO   AND   NEW  MEXICO. 


155 


mining  regions  affording  a  home  market,  it  possesses  a  completeness 
within  itself  not  found  in  any  other  section  of  the  Union,  while  New 
Mexico  will  be  the  great  central  fruit  and  wine  region. 

I  have  on  hand  a  large  amount  of  notes  and  items  in  regard  to  the 
agriculture  of  the  other  sections  of  Colorado  and  also  of  New  Mexico, 
which  I  hope  to  present  at  an  early  day. 


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